TITLE:
Anencephaly: A Case Report of a Preventable Congenital Neural Tube Defect (NTD)
AUTHORS:
Charles Lukanga Kimera, Nsangamay Tshimanga, Frieda Silvanus, Fredrick Sinyinza, Linda Ndesipandula Lukolo
KEYWORDS:
NTD, Anencephaly, Antenatal, Neural Tube, Folic Acid, Ultrasound, Alcohol, Preconception, Congenital Malformation, Diabetes
JOURNAL NAME:
Case Reports in Clinical Medicine,
Vol.14 No.12,
December
3,
2025
ABSTRACT: Anencephaly is a congenital malformation of the central nervous system involving the neural tube. It is a lethal condition with a 100% mortality rate. The condition can be diagnosed antenatally, usually in the first trimester, by ultrasound. This case report is about a 34-year-old woman with a long history of alcohol consumption, who never attended antenatal care and ended up delivering a stillborn female baby with anencephaly. It focuses on the need for early antenatal care booking, preconception and antenatal folic acid supplementation, avoidance of alcohol during pregnancy and preconception diabetic control, and the importance of first-trimester anomaly ultrasound.