Not all people are familiar with the medical term Spina Bifida. Spina Bifida is often related with pregnancy. It is the abnormal condition of the nervous system that happens during the first month of pregnancy of the baby’s development. If you care to read in any medical books, the term referred to as a defect in the neural tube or a gap in the fusing of the neural tube that enfolds the spinal cord. It is estimated that about1 in every 1000 births is affected with spina bifida.
Types of Spina Bifida
There are many kinds of spina bifida but the most common are the following;
Myelomeningocele
A sac protrudes in the opening of the baby’s back. This sac contains abnormal formed spinal cord. The nerves found below and at the defect are damaged. Babies do require surgery just after birth to restore the affected area.
Meningocele
A sac protrudes in a gap or opening in the back of the baby but unlike Myelomeningocele, the sac does not enclose the spinal cord and few nerves are involved. But still babies still need to have surgery right after birth to mend the damage.
Spina Bifida Occulta
With this condition, the bones around the spinal cord did not develop normally. Fortunately the nerves of the spinal cord are normal and so is the skin at the back. However you will discover a dimple, red discoloration in the skin or hair patch in the affected area. A baby that has this condition rarely undergoes surgery.
Spina Bifida Life Expectancy
A baby affected with a serious type of spina bifida before is expected to live short however with the increase education about spina bifida coupled with the advancement in the surgical field results to a much higher quality of life and a longer life expectancy for children suffering from spina bifida. It is said that about ninety percent of individual born with spina bifida will live possibly past their third decade of life.
Folic acid is found to be vital in decreasing the incidence of spina bifida. In fact the U.S, Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control suggests that all women who are in the child bearing stage should consume at least 400 mcg of folic acid daily. However, take note that taking folic acid does not guarantee a child being born with spina bifida. Folic acid is not a cure to spina bifida although it can decrease the risk of the child developing one.
There is no known cause of spina bifida so that parent should not blame themselves if their child is found out to have spina bifida. So what happens when a baby is affected with spina bifida? Treatment depends on what kind of spina bifida and of course the location of the defect.
Recently surgeons have started to do intrauterine surgical repairs to correct the abnormality of the fetus. This surgical procedure decreases the baby’s risk of getting infection since the sac which contains the spinal cord is not exposed anymore to bacteria upon birth. Just like any major operation, this surgery has risk to both mother and baby so that parents should weight the benefits against the risk.