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. 1981 Dec;56(12):911–918. doi: 10.1136/adc.56.12.911

Apparent prevention of neural tube defects by periconceptional vitamin supplementation.

R W Smithells, S Sheppard, C J Schorah, M J Seller, N C Nevin, R Harris, A P Read, D W Fielding
PMCID: PMC1627490  PMID: 7332338

Abstract

An earlier preliminary paper is expanded. Women who had given birth to one or more infants with a neural tube defect were recruited into a trial of per conceptional vitamin supplementation. Two hundred mothers attending five centres were fully supplemented (FS), 50 were partially supplemented (PS), and 300 were unsupplemented (US). Neural tube defect recurrences in the study pregnancies were 1 (0.5%), in FS, none in PS, and 13 (4%) in US mothers. The difference in outcome between FS and US mothers is significant. The most likely explanation is that supplementation has prevented some neural tube defects, but further studies are needed.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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