Risk of Neural Birth Defects Higher for Latinos, Study Finds

Latino babies face a significantly higher risk of being born with brain and spinal defects than do babies in other ethnic groups, a study from the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program reported Wednesday.

The study, which examined 700,000 live births and fetal deaths in California from 1983 to 1987, found that about nine of every 10,000 Latino babies were born with neural tube defects.

The two most common types of neural tube defects are spina bifida, an opening in the spinal cord that can cause permanent disabilities, and anencephaly, in which a large mass of the brain is missing at birth and which always leads to death.

Liz Stierman, a Los Angeles-based researcher for the state agency who helped coordinate the study, said health workers had no explanation for the high rate of brain and spinal problems among Latino babies.

“We don’t know whether the birth defects stem from genetic differences, cultural differences, environmental exposures or a combination of factors,” she said.

The study found that the statewide rate of neural tube defects was six in 10,000 births among whites, four in 10,000 for Asians and four in 10,000 for African Americans.