A silent epidemic of major congenital malformations in Tigray, northern Ethiopia: hospital-based study.

Congenital malformations are defects of the morphogenesis of organs or body during the pregnancy period and are identifiable at pre- or postnatal. They are identified as the major cause of child mortality worldwide. There is a need to understand the prevalence of congenital malformations in Tigray and Ethiopia in general as surveillance data are lacking.

High potential for reducing folic acid-preventable spina bifida and anencephaly, and related stillbirth and child mortality, in Ethiopia.

Background: Recent surveillance studies in Ethiopia show an epidemic of spina bifida and anencephaly, two major neural tube birth defects that are severe and life-threatening. Our objective was to estimate proportional reductions in current stillbirth and child mortality rates in Ethiopia through folic acid-based interventions to prevent spina bifida and anencephaly.

Methods: Using secondary data from multiple sources, we estimated percent reductions in stillbirth, neonatal, infant, and under-five child mortality rates that would have occurred in Ethiopia in the year 2016 had all folic acid-preventable spina bifida and anencephaly been prevented; and the contributions of these reductions toward Ethiopia's Year 2030 Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) goal on stillbirth, and sustainable development goal (SDG) on child mortality rates.

Nutritional status among women whose pregnancy outcome was afflicted with neural tube defects in Tigray region of Ethiopia.

Background: Nutritional deficiency in pregnant women is a confirmed cause of neural tube defects (NTDs). Alongside to this background, We sought to determine the nutritional status and level of awareness on the issue of the NTDs as well as folic acid (FA) utilization among women who born infants with NTDs in Tigray region of Ethiopia.

Method: A standard interviewer and a food frequency questionnaire was used to obtain information from mothers of cases with neural tube defects (n = 205) and their controls (n = 412).

High burden of neural tube defects in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: Hospital-based study.

Introduction: Neural tube defects are the major causes of fetal loss and considerable disabilities in infants. Currently, there is no significant research on the incidence of Neural tube defects in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

Objective: To determine the incidence and clinical pattern of the Neural Tube Defects.

Maternal risk factors associated with neural tube defects in Tigray regional state of Ethiopia.

Introduction: Unlike developing countries, including Ethiopia the identification of the risk factors in decreasing the burden of neural tube defects (NTDs) is well established in the developed world. Hence, we sought to determine the factors associated with NTDs in Tigray - Ethiopia.

Methods: We undergo a case-control analysis where all NTDs cases were compared to a group of controls derived randomly from the same hospitals where cases were recruited from.