Table 3.
A summary of estimates of the burden of neural tube defects and its sub–types from 37 retained studies from low and middle–income countries
| Studied outcome | Denominator | Number of Studies | Median (per 1000) | Inter–quartile range (per 1000) | Minimum(per 1000) | Maximum (per 1000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All neural tube defects | LB |
23 |
1.67 |
0.98–3.49 |
0.50 |
12.41 |
| LB+SB+TP |
17 |
2.55 |
1.56–3.91 |
0.86 |
19.94 |
|
| Spina bifida | LB |
14 |
1.13 |
0.75–1.73 |
0.38 |
5.90 |
| LB+SB+TP |
15 |
1.04 |
0.67–2.48 |
0.35 |
5.81 |
|
| Anencephaly | LB |
13 |
0.25 |
0.08–1.07 |
0.01 |
11.33 |
| LB+SB+TP |
16 |
1.03 |
0.67–1.60 |
0.30 |
8.26 |
|
| Encephalocele | LB |
9 |
0.15 |
0.08–0.23 |
0.03 |
0.39 |
| LB+SB+TP | 13 | 0.21 | 0.16–0.28 | 0.07 | 2.65 |
LB – live births; LB+SB+TP – live births, stillbirths and terminated pregnancies