Serum zinc level in newborns with neural tube defects in Gorgan

Background: Neural tube defects (NTD) are a group of congenital malformations that include spina bifida, anencephaly and encephalocele. Some investigations have indicated that Zinc deficiency is one of the causative factors of NTDs. This study was done to determine the relation between neural tube defect and neonatal serum Zinc level in Gorgan - North of Iran.
Methods: This case-control study was carried out on 23 newborns with NTD and 35 healthy newborns, in Dezyani hospital in Gorgan- north of Iran. Serum zinc level was assessed with spectrophotometery. Data was analyzed by SPSS soft ware.
Findings: Mean of serum Zinc levels in case and control groups were 8 (±3.9) μmol/Lit and 12.3 (±4) μMol/Lit, respectively (p<0.001). Zinc deficiency was found in 43.5% of the cases and 8.6% of the controls (χ² =9.73, p=0.002). The logistic regression analysis has shown an association between the presence of NTDs and zinc deficiency (OR=8.2, 95%CI: 1.9-34.7).
Conclusion: This study showed that Zinc deficiency was thought to be one of the most important factors in the NTDs etiology in this area.

Keywords
Neural tube defects , Zinc , Congenital malformations , Spina bifida , Anencephaly