Association between Fetal MTHFR A1298C (rs1801131) Polymorphism and Neural Tube Defects Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background

The association of the fetal MTHFR A1298C (rs1801131) polymorphism and neural tube defects (NTDs) susceptibility has been widely demonstrated, but the results remain inconclusive. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association between fetal MTHFR A1298C polymorphism and NTDs risk.

Methods

An electronic search of PubMed, web of science, SciELO, CNKI database for studies on the fetal MTHFR A1298C polymorphism and NTDs risk was performed up to March 30, 2020.

Results

A total of 22 case-control studies with 3,224 fetuses with NTDs and 3,295 controls were selected. Overall, pooled data showed that the fetal MTHFR A1298C polymorphism was not significantly associated with risk an increased risk of NTDs in the global population. When stratified analysis by ethnicity, country of origin and NTDs type, still no statistically significant association was found.

Conclusions

Our pooled data emerged no evidence for significant association between fetal MTHFR A1298C polymorphism and NTDs risk.

Keywords:

• Neural Tube Defects
• spina Bifida
• myelomeningocele
• MTHFR Gene
• polymorphism

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the editors and the anonymous reviewers for insightful suggestions on this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).