Serum zinc levels in newborns with neural tube defects.

Neural tube defects (NTD) comprise of a group of congenital malformations that include spina bifida, anencephaly and encephalocele. Reports have implicated zinc deficiency as one of the causative factors of NTDs. We compared the serum zinc level of 23 newborns having neural tube defects with 35 healthy controls by spectrophotometery during 2003-2004. Zinc deficiency was documented in 43.5% of the cases and 8.6% of the controls (P = 0.002). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between the presence of NTDs and zinc deficiency (OR = 8.2, 95% Cl: 1.9-34.7).