Affiliations: Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology,
Department of Public Health and Medical Education, Weill Cornell Medical
College and Hamad Medical Corporation, Hamad General Hospital, Qatar and
Department of Evidence for Population Health Unit, School of Epidemiology and
Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK | Department of Pediatrics, Women's Hospital, Hamad
Medical Corporation, Qatar | Department of Pediatrics, Ruprecht-Karls University,
Heidelberg, Germany | Department of Pediatrics, Necmettin Erbakan
University, Meram Medical Faculty, Konya, Turkey | Departments of Pediatrics and Genetics, Weill Cornell
Medical College and Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar
Note: [] Correspondence: Prof. Abdulbari Bener, Advisor to WHO,
Consultant and Head Department of Medical Statistics & Epidemiology, Hamad
Medical Corporation and Department of Public Health, Weill Cornell Medical
College, P.O. Box 3050, Doha- State of Qatar. Tel.: +974 5522 1516, +974 4439
3765; Fax: +974 439 3769; E-mail: abener@hmc.org.qa,
abb2007@qatar-med.cornell.edu
Abstract: The wide variety in incidence rates of neural tube defects (NTD) in
the Arabian region have been attributed to environmental, dietary and genetic
factors. No previous study has been conducted in the State of Qatar to document
the incidence and trends of NTD. The aim of this study is to determine the
incidence and trends of NTD over a period of 25 yr in the State of Qatar. This
is a retrospective hospital based cohort study. The survey was carried out in
the main territory hospital in the State of Qatar. The study was conducted from
1985 to 2009 with a total of 302,049 newborns at the Women's Hospital in Qatar
screened for NTD. NTD were defined according to the International
Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision. Study parameters included age,
gender, ethnicity, parental consanguinity, and residential area. The combined
prevalence of NTD (total myelomeningocele and anencephaly) during the 25 yr
period was 1.09 per 1,000 births. The prevalence of anencephaly was 0.36 per
1,000 births. There were 131 (42.1%) males and 180 (57.9%) female newborns with
NTD, corresponding to incidence of 0.899 and 1.289 per 1,000 in male and female
newborns, respectively. This difference was significant (P < 0.001).
Consanguinity was seen in 36.7% of the parents. The present study revealed that
Qatar has a relatively low incidence of NTD, which is comparable to neighboring
countries in the Arabian Gulf region. High rates of consanguinity and lack of
periconceptual folic acid intake among mothers appear to be the major factors
contributing to NTD in Qatar.
