13/28 - Prevenzione primaria delle malformazioni congenite attività del Network Italiano Promozione Acido Folico.A cura di Orietta Granata, Pietro Carbone, Alberto Mantovani e Domenica Taruscio 2013, iii, 180 p.

Primary prevention of congenital anomalies: activities of the Italian network for folic acid promotion.
Edited by Orietta Granata, Pietro Carbone, Alberto Mantovani and Domenica Taruscio
2013, iii, 180 p. (in Italian)

In recent years attention is growing on the role of the pre-conceptional stage in the primary prevention of birth defects, due to the role of folic acid supplementation. The prevention of congenital anomalies is a priority issue, with regard to both the prevalence data and the health and social effects of socio-health since they are an important cause of infant mortality and morbidity. An adequate intake of folic acid is an important factor to prevent the risk of birth defects, mainly neural tube defects; in addition, the Italian Network is developing a more comprehensive approach to the primary prevention of congenital anomalies. Protective factors as well as risk factors are considered, targeting critical and innovative issues: a multidisciplinary viewpoint is developed, collecting contributions in the fields of drugs, food, environmental risks, genetic factors as well as community health and communication aspects. Finally, the report presents the recent European recommendations on the primary prevention of birth defects.
Key words: Folates; Neural tube defects; Pre-conceptional health; Adverse pregnancy outcomes; risk factors; risk-to-benefit assessment