[Awareness of periconceptional consumption of folic acid among urologists and a group of laymen].
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that periconceptional consumption of folic acid will reduce risks of having babies afflicted with Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) in the year of 2000. We assessed awareness of the role of folic acid among urologists and a patient group, how urologists give advices on lifestyle to young women, and what lifestyle the patient group currently maintains. A postal questionnaire survey was conducted involving 400 urologists randomly selected and a group of 250 female patients afflicted with NTDS and 250 mothers who had given birth to babies having NTDs during the past 7 years. Eighty-four percent of urologists aged 40 years and over and 76% of the patient group aged in their 20s and 30s. Response rates were 56% in the former and 52% in the later. Twenty-six percent of urologists and 92% of the patient group knew an important role folic acid played in prevention of neural tube defects. While 10% of urologists advised to consume multi-vitamins containing folic acid or folic acid supplements, 25% of myelodysplastics and the mothers took them. Sixty-eight percent of doctors advised to take well-balanced food and 82% of the patent group answered that they do. Over 80% of the doctors and the patient group believed that a folic acid campaign is to be organized to inform young women of childbearing age of possible reduction of the risk. It is found that proportion of urologists who are aware of a role of periconceptional consumption of folic acid is significantly lower than that of the group of patients (p < 0.0001). Urologists are expected to recognize specific benefits of folic acid in the prevention of NTDs, to advise young women of childbearing age to take well-balanced meals, and to recommend those who wish to be pregnant to consume 400 micrograms of folic acid supplements from 4 weeks before to 12 weeks after conception.