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Background & Objective: Neural tube defects (NTDs) are a heterogenous group of malformation which is resulting from failure of normal neural tube closure between the 3rd and 4th week of embryonic development. The most common form of this malformation is anencephaly, spinabifida and ancephalocele. Prevalence of this malformation differs from geographic situation and race distribution. Materials & Methods: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of NTDs in Birjand Hospital between 1996 to 2000. After diagnose of malformation among the 16785 infants born in the 2 hospitals in Birjand, reliable questionnaire was completed for the mothers who had malformed infants. The data was analyzed by SPSS software. Results: Prevalence of NTDs was 2.97 per 1000 birth, more higher than other countries anencephaly and spina bifida is common form of NTDs in this area. Consanguinity, previous abortion, malformed childbirth, malformed child in the family, diseases during pregnancy and winter delivery were some of the risk factors. Most of the mother (96%) didn’t take the Folic Acid during their pregnancy. Conclusion: The findings from this study indicate that the rate of NTD in Birjand is relatively higher comparing to other studies in different countries. Further investigations are recommended to find out the etiology of NTD in this area.

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Background and Objective: The incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) is varied according to race, geographical situation and other predisposing factors. This study was carried out to determine the incidence rate of NTDs and its risk factors in Yasuj, Iran. Materials and Methods: This case - control study was done on live newborns in Imam Sajad hospital, Yasuj, Iran during 2000-10. 78 neonates with NTDs out of 36755 live newborns were considered as cases. The control group was also consisting of the same number of healthy neonates who born at the same period and in the same hospital. Data were collected by a check-list and analyzed using SPSS-19, Chi-Square, Logistic regression and odd’s ratio. Results: The incidence rate of NTDs was 2.12 per 1000 live births. Anencephaly and Spina Bifida was detected in 59 (75.6%) and 19 (24.3%) of affected newborns, respectively. The ratio of females to males was 1.5 times. 53.85% of mothers with affected newborns were grouped in 27-36 years age range. The mean number of pregnancies and abortion between two groups of mothers had no statistical significant differences. There is no significant relation between the mothers occupation and the incidence of NTDs. 10 (12.8%) of mothers from case group and 7 (8.97%) of mothers from control group have used tobacco. 52 (66.7%) of mothers of case group and 30 (38.5%) of controls did not consumed folic acid. The relation between non-user folic acid during pregnancy with NTDs was significant (95% CI: 1.4-6.15, OR=2.93, P<0.001). Conclusion: This study showed relatively high incidence of NTDs in Yasuj. Non-consuming folic acid increased the risk of NTD by 2.93 times.