Neural tube defects in Costa Rica, 1987-2012: origins and development of birth defect surveillance and folic acid fortification.

Our aim was to provide a descriptive overview of how the birth defects surveillance and folic acid fortification programs were implemented in Costa Rica-through the establishment of the Registry Center for Congenital Anomalies (Centro de Registro de Enfermedades Congénitas-CREC), and fortification legislation mandates. We estimated the overall prevalence of neural tube defects (i.e.

[Impact of the fortification of food with folic acid on neural tube defects in Costa Rica].

Objective: Evaluate the impact of the fortification of food with folic acid on prevalence trends for neural tube defects (NTD) and the infant mortality rate (IMR) associated with this disorder in Costa Rica.

Methods: The surveillance data from the Congenital Disease Registry Center and the Central American Population Center were analyzed. The neural tube defects considered were anencephaly, spina bifida, and encephalocele.