Iron Status Indicators in Women with Prior Neural Tube Defect-affected Pregnancies

Overview

Journal Matern Child Health J

Specialty Health Services

Date 2005 Nov 30

PMID 16315101

Citations 6

Authors

Marilyn M Felkner

Lucina Suarez

Jean Brender

Barbara Scaife

Kate Hendricks

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency in pregnant women and has been linked to negative impacts on the fetus. We describe the association of various iron-deficiency indices with risk of neural tube defect (NTD) among a high-risk Mexican-American population.

Methods: The study included 158 case-women (NTD-affected pregnancies) and 189 control-women (normal births) who were residents of the 14 Texas-Mexico border counties and delivered or terminated pregnancies during 1995-2000. In-person interviews and laboratory assays provided data.

Results: Case-women had higher odds of having minimal or no iron stores (serum ferritin <30 microg/L) compared to control-women (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.0-3.3). The risk effect was not explained by low folate or B12 or other risk factors.

Conclusion: Low serum ferritin may reflect the additive effect of multiple long-term factors, many of them related to poverty such as poor quality diet, lack of supplementation, and frequent pregnancies. Interpartum care is indicated in this population.

Citing Articles

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Micronutrient imbalance and common phenotypes in neural tube defects.

Kakebeen A, Niswander L Genesis. 2021; 59(11):e23455.

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High levels of iron supplementation prevents neural tube defects in the Fpn1 mouse model.

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Is low iron status a risk factor for neural tube defects?.

Molloy A, Einri C, Jain D, Laird E, Fan R, Wang Y Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2014; 100(2):100-6.

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The iron exporter ferroportin 1 is essential for development of the mouse embryo, forebrain patterning and neural tube closure.

Mao J, McKean D, Warrier S, Corbin J, Niswander L, Zohn I Development. 2010; 137(18):3079-88.

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