MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
3-3-2025
Abstract
The 1990-1991 birth defect cluster of anencephaly in the Rio Grande Valley has had lasting effects on Texas public health and birth defect prevention nationwide. The purpose of this study is to clearly illuminate public health efforts to investigate, identify, and combat the rise of anencephaly and other neural tube defects (NTDs) in the Rio Grande Valley and other border counties following the 1990-1991 cluster, as well as to report the findings of each branch of environmental, infectious, and genetic investigation into the possible causes of the disaster. Information was gathered via a literature review and from other sources including the Texas Department of State Health Services, news articles, and the CDC. Our key findings include correlations between NTDs and obesity and hyperinsulinemia, environmental and chemical exposures such as nitrates, fumonisins, and heavy metals, and the discovery of low functioning mutations of important folate metabolism genes PDGFRA, MTR, and MTRR in Hispanic populations. The study is a distillation of key findings regarding the possible origins of the 1990-1991 anencephaly cluster and a timeline of Texas public health response and federal legislative action to combat neural tube defects.
Recommended Citation
Hebert, Jonathan; Lopez, Miguel; and Rengasamy, Padmanabhan, "From Crisis to Action: Investigation, Research, and Response in the Rio Grande Valley following the Anencephaly Cluster of 1990-1991" (2025). MEDI 9331 Scholarly Activities Clinical Years. 90.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/som9331/90
Academic Level
medical student
Included in
Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities Commons, Environmental Public Health Commons, Epidemiology Commons, Maternal and Child Health Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, Women's Health Commons
