Gene controls birth defects common in diabetic patients

Neural tube defects (NTDs) occur when mutations accumulate in the neuroepithelial cells, neural stem cells that eventually transform themselves into the brain and the central nervous system.

This  occurs after the fetus is exposed to too much glucose, which can cause widespread cell death, eventually leading to the birth defects.

Researchers have identified a gene that plays a key role in the formation of neural tube defects, a problem commonly found in infants of pregnant women with diabetes.

Neural tube defects are birth defects of the brain and spinal cord. They occur in the first month of pregnancy. The two most common are spina bifida and anencephaly.

 In the first, the fetal spinal column doesn't close completely. This usually causes nerve damage, with some paralysis of the legs. In the latter, most of the brain and skull do not develop.

 Infants with this defect are usually stillborn or die soon after birth. Neural tube defects have several causes, including diabetes, folic acid deficiency, obesity in the mother, and consumption of certain medications.

About 10 percent of women with diabetes who are pregnant will have embryos with neural tube. More than
300,000 pregnancies are affected by NTDs every year. One out of ten babies with NTDs die before their first birthday.

Pregnant women who have diabetes have a significantly higher risk of having a child with NTDs, and even with the highest quality preconception care, diabetic women are five times more likely to have a child with birth defects than non-diabetic women.