What this means
Deaths and new cases of neural tube defects fell in China over 1990 to 2023. Among older adults, people living with these defects went up, and more years of life were lost to disability.
Plain-English summary written by an AI model from the abstract. The original is below.
- Who it was tested in
- Data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 covering China, 1990 to 2023
- Kind of research
- A study
The science
- Original title
- Shifting Burden of Neural Tube Defects from Early-Life Mortality to an Aging Population Living with Disability - China, 1990-2023.
- Authors
- Wu Y, Jia X, Wang L et al.
- Journal
- China CDC weekly
- Published
- Oct 15, 2026
- Study type
- Study
- PMID
- 42877557 ↗
Abstract
WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS TOPIC?: The burden of neural tube defects (NTDs) has declined with folic acid supplementation and fortification, but comprehensive all-age estimates are lacking. WHAT IS ADDED BY THIS REPORT?: Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, we assessed the all-age NTD burden in China during 1990-2023. Incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rates declined significantly, whereas prevalence increased among adults aged ≥50 years and DALY rates increased among those aged ≥75 years, indicating a shift from early-life mortality to disability in an aging population. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE?: Life-course care should combine primary prevention, long-term rehabilitation and multidisciplinary management for people with NTDs.
Wu Y, Jia X, Wang L et al. Shifting Burden of Neural Tube Defects from Early-Life Mortality to an Aging Population Living with Disability - China, 1990-2023. China CDC weekly. 2026. doi:10.46234/ccdcw2026.192. PMID: 42877557. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42877557/