Genetic and Nutritional Causes of Heart Birth Defects

July 28, 2016 updated by: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Gene and Nutrient Etiologies of Human Heart Defects

Each year in the United States, thousands of babies are born with heart defects. Women who take folic acid during pregnancy have a lower risk of giving birth to infants with heart defects, but the reason for this remains unknown. This study will examine the relationship between genes, nutrition, and the occurrence of heart defects in infants.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect; each year, more than 30,000 babies in the United States are born with this kind of abnormality. Conotruncal heart defects, considered to be a very serious type of defect, involve a structural abnormality in the chambers of the heart or blood vessels that lead to and from the heart. Infants born with conotruncal defects must undergo complex open heart surgery, and there is a high fatality rate. Folic acid supplementation during pregnancy has been shown to reduce the risk of conotruncal defects. However, some women who take folic acid during pregnancy still give birth to infants with conotruncal defects. Specific genes may influence the way individuals metabolize folic acid, and variations in these genes may make some infants more prone to developing heart defects. This study will examine the relationship between genes, maternal nutritional intake, and conotruncal heart defects. The results from this study may help to determine genetic and nutritional causes of congenital heart defects.

This study will use previously collected data on 550 infants born with conotruncal defects and 1060 infants born without heart defects. There will be no study visits specifically for this study. Infant DNA will be analyzed for genes that may play a role in folate metabolic pathways. Blood previously collected from the mothers during pregnancy will be analyzed for differences in nutrient intake. Specifically, levels of folic acid, choline, vitamin B12, and methionine will be examined.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

1610

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Berkeley, California, United States, 94710
        • California Birth Defects Monitoring Program

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

No older than 1 year (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Mothers of babies with heart defects and mothers of babies without any malformation.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Conotruncal heart defect

Exclusion Criteria:

  • If part of control group, must not have heart defect

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Gary M. Shaw, DrPH, California Birth Defects Monitoring Program

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

July 1, 2006

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2006

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 24, 2006

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 24, 2006

First Posted (Estimate)

August 25, 2006

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

July 29, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 28, 2016

Last Verified

December 1, 2007

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 1352
  • R01HL085859 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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