system
Medical AI Inquiry: You were designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.
user
In a recently conducted case-control study that aimed to elucidate the causes of myelomeningocele (a neural tube defect in which there is an incomplete formation of the spinal bones), 200 mothers of infants born with the disease and 200 mothers of infants born without the disease were included in the study. Among the mothers of infants with myelomeningocele, 50% reported having experienced pharyngitis (sore throat) during pregnancy, compared with 5% of the mothers whose infants did not develop the condition. The researchers concluded that there is an association between pharyngitis during pregnancy and myelomeningocele; this conclusion was backed up by statistical analysis of the obtained results. Which type of bias may hamper the validity of the researchers’ conclusions?
assistant
Recall bias