NEURAL-TUBE DEFECTS IN NORTHERN JORDAN

Objective: To calculate several epidemiologic parameters of the three neural tube defects, namely, anencephaly, spina bifida and encephaloce les in the Irbid province located in the north of Jordan. Design: We i dentified prospectively all patients with neural tube defects referred to the two main tertiary care centers in the Irbid Province for a thr ee year period starting January 1991 to December 1993. Results: The ov erall incidence of the three neural tube defects was 1.63/1000 live bi rths. The incidence of spina bifida was 1.0/1000, of anencephaly 0.37/ 1000 and of encephalocele 0.26/1000. Male to female ratio was 0.73 for the three neural tube defects: 1.2, 0.62 and 0.67 for anencephaly, sp ina bifida and encephalocele respectively, Primary unrelated anomalies were seen in 19% cardiovascular and renal anomalies were the most com mon. The rate of parental consanguinity (69%) was not different from t he general population. None of the mothers in this series received pre conceptional folic acid supplementation. Conclusion: This is the first study of neural tube defects in northern Jordan which deals with a po pulation with no routine dietary supplementation with vitamins and fol ic acid for women in the child bearing period.