Maternal periconceptional alcohol consumption and the risk of neural tube defects in offspring: a meta-analysis

Objective: Several studies have been conducted to examine the association between alcohol consumption during pregnancy and risk of neural tube defects (NTDs), while the results are inconsistent. In the present study, we aimed to clarify the relationship between maternal periconceptional alcohol consumption and NTDs risk in offspring.

Methods: PubMed, Springer Link, and Elsevier databases were searched up to November, 2014. All case–control and cohort studies of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy with risk of NTDs were included. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for highest versus lowest category of alcohol consumption were calculated using a fixed- or random-effects model.

Results: The pooled ORs of maternal periconceptional alcohol consumption were 1.01 (95% CI: 0.71–1.45) for total NTDs and 1.03 (95% CI: 0.65–1.64) for NTDs subtype of spina bifida. Specifically, the pooled ORs of maternal alcohol consumption in the first trimester and binge drinking were 1.01 (95% CI: 0.71–1.43), and 1.07 (95% CI: 0.81–1.41), respectively.

Conclusions: Our findings suggested no association between maternal periconceptional alcohol consumption and NTDs risk in offspring.