Maternal plasma pyridoxal-5′-phosphate concentrations and risk of isolated oral clefts in the Philippines

✍ Scribed by Tsunenobu Tamura; Ronald G. Munger; Buena Nepomuceno; Christopher Corcoran; Joselito Cembrano; Florentino Solon

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 85 KB
• Volume: 79
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1542-0752
• DOI: 10.1002/bdra.20348

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

We report that inadequate vitamin B‐6 status of Filipino mothers, assessed by erythrocyte aspartate aminotransferase activity coefficient (EAST‐AC), is associated with an increased risk for isolated cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) in their children. Its association with the status assessed by plasma pyridoxal‐5′‐phosphate (PLP) concentrations is unknown.

METHODS:

In a case‐control study in the Philippines including 46 cases (mothers of a child with CL/P) and 392 controls (mothers of an unaffected child), we evaluated the association between the risk for CL/P and maternal vitamin B‐6 status assessed by PLP and EAST‐AC.

RESULTS:

The ORs of CL/P were estimated by classifying mothers by PLP (>30, 20–30, and <20 nmol/L). Using the highest PLP group as the reference, ORs (95% CIs) were 1.03 (0.45–2.37) and 2.66 (1.30–5.50) for the middle and lowest groups, respectively (p trend = .01). In multivariate models controlling for various covariates including folate, the risk for CL/P was approximately 12 times higher in mothers with inadequate vitamin B‐6 status, assessed by both PLP and EAST‐AC values, compared to those with adequate status by both values.

CONCLUSIONS:

Inadequate vitamin B‐6 status assessed by maternal PLP and EAST‐AC values independently and both combined was associated with an increased risk for CL/P. The association was highest when both values were considered, suggesting that the measurement of both PLP and EAST‐AC provides better assessment of vitamin B‐6 status than either measurement alone. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.