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PRENATAL MULTIVITAMINS MAY DECREASE NEURAL-TUBE DEFECTS.

Prevention of birth defects is a goal rarely achieved, but data reported by Mulinare and colleagues indicate that a simple measure -- taking multivitamins -- may reduce the risk of neural-tube defects. These investigators performed a case-control study comparing the use of multivitamins by mothers of 347 babies with neural-tube defects and mothers of 2829 randomly selected control babies born without birth defects. The authors defined periconceptional multivitamin use as use for three months before conception and three months afterward. For mothers who took vitamins, the risk of having a baby with a neural-tube defect was only 40 percent of the risk among mothers who did not take vitamins. Potential confounding factors -- maternal age, education, smoking behavior, alcohol use, history of unproductive pregnancy, history of chronic illness, and spermicide use before the baby's birth -- were accounted for in the analysis.

These authors and an editorialist point out that these findings may be due to other differences between mothers who did and did not take multivitamins; however, given the low risks and costs of this intervention, it seems prudent for women of childbearing age to take multivitamins.

— THL

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine December 9, 1988

Citation(s):

Holmes L B. Does taking vitamins at the time of conception prevent neural tube defects?. JAMA 1988 Dec 2 260 3181-3181.

• Medline abstract (Free)

Mulinare J; Cordero J F; Erickson J D; Berry R J. Periconceptional use of multivitamins and the occurrence of neural tube defects. JAMA 1988 Dec 2 260 3141-3145.

• Medline abstract (Free)