Lack of maternal folic acid supplementation is associated with heart defects in Down syndrome: a report from the National Down Syndrome Project

Lora J H Bean; Emily G Allen; Stuart W Tinker; Natasha D Hollis; Adam E Locke; Charlotte Druschel; Charlotte A Hobbs; Leslie O'Leary; Paul A Romitti; Marjorie H Royle; Claudine P Torfs; Kenneth J Dooley; Sallie B Freeman; Stephanie L Sherman

doi:10.1002/bdra.22848

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Lack of maternal folic acid supplementation is associated with heart defects in Down syndrome: a report from the National Down Syndrome Project

Journal article

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Lack of maternal folic acid supplementation is associated with heart defects in Down syndrome: a report from the National Down Syndrome Project

Lora J H Bean, Emily G Allen, Stuart W Tinker, Natasha D Hollis, Adam E Locke, Charlotte Druschel, Charlotte A Hobbs, Leslie O'Leary, Paul A Romitti, Marjorie H Royle, …

Birth defects research. A Clinical and molecular teratology, Vol.91(10), pp.885-893

10/2011

DOI: 10.1002/bdra.22848

PMCID: PMC3233972

PMID: 21987466

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/3233972View

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Abstract

Maternal folic acid supplementation has been associated with a reduced risk for neural tube defects and may be associated with a reduced risk for congenital heart defects and other birth defects. Individuals with Down syndrome are at high risk for congenital heart defects and have been shown to have abnormal folate metabolism. As part of the population-based case-control National Down Syndrome Project, 1011 mothers of infants with Down syndrome reported their use of supplements containing folic acid. These data were used to determine whether a lack of periconceptional maternal folic acid supplementation is associated with congenital heart defects in Down syndrome. We used logistic regression to test the relationship between maternal folic acid supplementation and the frequency of specific heart defects correcting for maternal race or ethnicity, proband sex, maternal use of alcohol and cigarettes, and maternal age at conception. Lack of maternal folic acid supplementation was more frequent among infants with Down syndrome and atrioventricular septal defects (odds ratio [OR], 1.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-2.63; p = 0.011) or atrial septal defects (OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.11-2.58; p = 0.007) than among infants with Down syndrome and no heart defect. Preliminary evidence suggests that the patterns of association differ by race or ethnicity and sex of the proband. There was no statistically significant association with ventricular septal defects (OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 0.85-1.87; p = 0.124). Our results suggest that lack of maternal folic acid supplementation is associated with septal defects in infants with Down syndrome. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Pregnancy

Folic Acid

Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular - complications

Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular - epidemiology

United States - epidemiology

Heart Septal Defects, Atrial - epidemiology

Humans

Down Syndrome - epidemiology

Infant

Male

Heart Septal Defects, Atrial - complications

Down Syndrome - complications

Female

Dietary Supplements

Details

Title: Subtitle: Lack of maternal folic acid supplementation is associated with heart defects in Down syndrome: a report from the National Down Syndrome Project
Creators: Lora J H Bean - Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. ljbean@emory.edu
Emily G Allen
Stuart W Tinker
Natasha D Hollis
Adam E Locke
Charlotte Druschel
Charlotte A Hobbs
Leslie O'Leary
Paul A Romitti
Marjorie H Royle
Claudine P Torfs
Kenneth J Dooley
Sallie B Freeman
Stephanie L Sherman
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Birth defects research. A Clinical and molecular teratology, Vol.91(10), pp.885-893
DOI: 10.1002/bdra.22848
PMID: 21987466
PMCID: PMC3233972
NLM abbreviation: Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol
ISSN: 1542-0752
eISSN: 1542-0760
Publisher: United States
Grant note: P01 HD024605-15 / NICHD NIH HHS M01 RR000039-39 / NCRR NIH HHS R01 HL083300 / NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HD038979-12 / NICHD NIH HHS R01 HL083300-05 / NHLBI NIH HHS M01 RR000039 / NCRR NIH HHS UL1 TR000454 / NCATS NIH HHS F32 HD046337 / NICHD NIH HHS T32 GM008490 / NIGMS NIH HHS F32 HD046337-03 / NICHD NIH HHS P01 HD024605 / NICHD NIH HHS UL1 RR025008 / NCRR NIH HHS R01 HD038979 / NICHD NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 10/2011
Academic Unit: Epidemiology; Biostatistics
Record Identifier: 9983996061902771

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