To prevent spina bifida, attention must be paid to reducing individual risk factors.
Behavioral risk factors
- Diet
- Folic acid deficiency
- See below “Prevention with micronutrients”.
Disease-related risk factors
Medication
- Teratogenic drugs:
- Antiepileptic drugs – e.g., valproic acid and carbamazepine.
Prevention factors (protective factors)
- Genetic factors:
- Genetic risk reduction depending on gene polymorphisms:
- Genes/SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism):
- Gene: MTHFR _C677T (MTHFR).
- SNP: rs1801133 in the gene MTHFR _C677T
- Allele constellation: CC (lower risk if the allele constellation is present in the mother).
- Allele constellation: TT (lower risk if the allele constellation is present in the mother).
- Genes/SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism):
- Genetic risk reduction depending on gene polymorphisms:
- Periconceptional folic acid supplementation (four weeks before conception (i.e., if you wish to have a child) to eight weeks after: 0.4 mg/d = 400 μg/d orally) – this leads to a risk reduction of up to 70%.