Clinical profile of neural tube defects in Sudanese children: Is malaria a risk factor?

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are one of the most common structural malformations in human kind. It is a public health problem with great impact on the child, parents and the community at large. The aim is to study the epidemiological profile and patterns of NTDs in under five-year of age Sudanese children who attended the neurosurgical clinic at the National Centre of Neurological Sciences (NCNS), Khartoum during the period from March 2014 to December 2014. This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted at the neurosurgery clinic in NCNS, Khartoum. A pre-set structured questionnaire was the research tool. All children under five-year of age with NTDs, who attended the Neurosurgery clinic in NCNS during the period of the study, were recruited. The data were analyzed using statistical package of social sciences (SPSS). The sample size was 71. The majority of cases were less than 6 months of age (57.7%). The female to male ratio was (1.2:1). Spinal defects were noticed to be more common than cranial defects. The spina bifida was the commonest anomaly accounting for (73.2%), whereas, encephaloceles accounted for (26.8%). The lumbo-sacral region was the commonest site (34.6%). Hydrocephalus was the most commonly associated anomaly. NTDs were common in the young mother age group and consanguine parents. Although folic acid was taken by (69.0%) of the mothers, it was not on regular bases in the majority. Infection, particularly, malaria, during pregnancy was reported in 25.4%. Anti-malaria Sulfadoxine/Pyremethamine (Fansidar^®) used by most in our cohort is an anti-folate drug and could be implicated in the etiology.