Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24976961›Full record

ArticleJournal of global health2014

Estimating the burden of neural tube defects in low- and middle-income countries.

Annie Lo, Dora Polšek, Simrita Sidhu

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Article in Journal of global health, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
45citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

45 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Annie LoThe University of Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Dora PolšekHistology and Embryology Department, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
Simrita SidhuThe University of Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTo provide an estimate for the burden of neural tube defects (NTD) in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and explore potential public health policies that may be implemented. Although effective interventions are available to prevent NTD, there is still considerable childhood morbidity and mortality present in LMIC.

methodsA search of Medline, EMBASE, Global Health Library and PubMed identified 37 relevant studies that provided estimates of the burden of NTD in LMIC. Information on burden of total NTD and specific NTD types was separated according to the denominator into two groups: (i) estimates based on the number of live births only; and (ii) live births, stillbirths and terminations. The data was then extracted and analysed.

resultsThe search retrieved NTD burden from 18 countries in 6 WHO regions. The overall burden calculated using the median from studies based on livebirths was 1.67/1000 (IQR = 0.98-3.49) for total NTD burden, 1.13/1000 (IQR = 0.75-1.73) for spina bifida, 0.25/1000 (IQR = 0.08-1.07) for anencephaly and 0.15/1000 (IQR = 0.08-0.23) for encephalocele. Corresponding estimates based on all pregnancies resulting in live births, still births and terminations were 2.55/1000 (IQR = 1.56-3.91) for total NTD burden, 1.04/1000 (IQR = 0.67-2.48) for spina bifida, 1.03/1000 (IQR = 0.67-1.60) for anencephaly and 0.21 (IQR = 0.16-0.28) for encephalocele. This translates into about 190 000neonates who are born each year with NTD in LMIC.

conclusionLimited available data on NTD in LMIC indicates the need for additional research that would improve the estimated burden of NTD and recommend suitable aid policies through maternal education on folic acid supplementation or food fortification.

Identifiers

PMID24976961
PMCPMC4073251

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.