Essay On Spina Bifida

Spina bifida is a genetic disease that can be severe if not detected and treated early. If left gone unnoticed, spina bifida could have life-threatening consequences. Fortunately for those who have the disease, there are varying types of the disease that impact their lives in different ways. In order to treat/eliminate the disease, one must understand preventative ways to help decrease the likeliness of getting the disease along with properly detecting the signs for those young babies still in the womb. By understanding more about this disease, one can possibly help decrease the total amount of individuals who are impacted by spina bifida.
Spina bifida is a defect of the spine where part of the spinal cord and its meninges are exposed

through a gap in the backbone. There are three types of spina bifida which have different symptoms and problems that can affect someone now and in the future. The first type of spina bifida is spina bifida occulta. This is a small separation or gap in one or more of the bones located in the spine. This is the most common type and most people that have this do not even know it. Many people discover they have this through an x-ray taken for another reason. Some of the symptoms of this type of spina bifida is an abnormal tuft of hair, a collection of fat, or a small dimple or birthmark found on the lower back above the spine defect (UCSF 2002-2016).

Spina bifida occulta causes problems such as foot deformity, weakness and reduced sensation of the legs, change in hand function, and bladder infections. This happens because the spinal cord becomes tethered into the backbone (Shine, 2011). The second type of spina bifida is spina bifida meningocele. This is where the protective membranes around the spinal cord push through the opening in the vertebrate. This is the rarest type and it is very easy to spot. Common symptoms of this type are a pain in the back, a spinal mass, paralyzed legs, or bladder dysfunction. A person would be able to notice this type on their back because there is a sac on the spine covered by a thin layer of skin. Potential problems of this type of spina bifida can be partial paralysis, urinary and bowel dysfunction, and excess fluid in the brain. The fluid in the brain is called hydrocephalus. The last type of spina bifida is myelomeningocele, also called open spina bifida. This is what people actually mean when they refer to spina bifida. Myelomeningocele is where the baby's spinal canal

remains open along several vertebrate in the lower to middle back. This happens because the opening of the membranes and the spinal cord extends at birth on the baby's back. This forms a sac on the baby's back that will require treatment. In some cases, the skin that covers the sac may cause life-threatening infections. A doctor would be able to recognize this disease on the baby's back because there is a wide bump through several vertebrate forming a large sac. The symptoms of these could be loss of bladder or bowel problems, partial or complete lack of sensation, abnormal feet or legs, clawfoot, or weakness in the hips, legs, or feet in a newborn. Myelomeningocele can cause serious problems such as traumatic birth and difficulty delivering a baby, recurrent urinary tract infections, loss of bowel or bladder control, permanent weakness or paralysis of the legs, or a brain infection (UCSF, 2002-2016). This is also the leading cause of scoliosis. Spina bifida can be a serious disease in someone's life.
Spina bifida starts early during the pregnancy process. This spinal defect starts to develop on the baby's back between the third and fourth week of pregnancy. It starts at the beginning and closes on the twenty-eighth day after conception (UCSF, 2002-2016). This genetic disease is a sex-linked trait, which means it is carried on the X chromosome (Palate, 1990). Doctors are not one-hundred percent sure what causes spina bifida but they do have an idea. It is believed to be a combination of genetics and environmental factors. Also, family history of neural tube defects and the amount of folic acid consumed before and during pregnancy could impact the chances of having a baby with spina bifida. Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin that belongs to complex-B vitamin group. Since this is a water soluble vitamin, the body does not store this. It is important that an expecting mother starts out consuming 400 micrograms of folic acid per day. As the pregnancy progresses, a mother should consume 600 micrograms. Mothers can get folic acid by taking a vitamin that is prescribed by their doctor. Taking folic acid one month before conception could lower the risk of having a baby with spina bifida because the spine and brain start to develop early during the pregnancy (Story, 2005-2016). Taking in the proper amount of folic acid could reduce the chances of having a birth defect in the spine by seventy percent (American Pregnancy Association, 2016). This is because folic acid helps the baby's brain and spine develop properly. Foods that contain folic acid include whole grains, leafy vegetables, dried beans, and egg yolks (Story, 2005-2016).
Statistics show that there are 70,000 people in the United States who are living with spina bifida. Seven out of every 10,000 live births in the United States are born with spina bifida. This is about 1,500 babies a year. This number has decreased by twenty-four percent since 1996. Hispanic women and whites with a European descent are at a higher risk than any other ethnic group to get spina bifida. Also, women have a fourteen percent higher chance to end up with spina bifida than males. It is unknown why more females are born with spina bifida than males. There are some famous people with the disease. John Cougar Mellencamp was born with this disease and is still alive. He is a rock singer and songwriter and is living a normal life with spina bifida. Hank Williams Sr. was also born with spina bifida. He is a country musician and died at a young age (American Pregnancy Association, 2016).
Spina bifida can be found in a child while still in the womb. The mother can have tests done to determine if the baby will be born with this genetic disease. The test the mother is able to get done is called amniocentesis. This test can be performed between fifteen and twenty weeks of pregnancy. During this test, a syringe will remove amniotic fluid from the mother. The fluid will be sent to a lab and will be made into a karyotype to determine if something is wrong with the baby. Also, prenatal ultrasounds can be done to see if there are any structural problems while the baby's spine and brain is developing (Story, 2005-2016). If these tests turn out to be positive for spina bifida, surgery can be done while the baby is still in the womb. With the help of advanced technology, prenatal surgeries can be done which has had a positive impact on the child. Spina bifida can be fixed over time, but there is no cure for the tissue that has been damaged. Throughout a person's lifetime, the tissue will begin to repair itself, but there is nothing a doctor can do to speed up the process. As the tissue begins to build up, surgery may need to be done to relieve pain that has built up on the spine from the tissue (HRF, 2015). Spina bifida occulta does not require treatment because it is the least harmful type. Spina bifida meningocele can be treated without surgery but the more severe cases may require some surgery. If spina bifida meningocele is not treated, it can cause mental retardation or movement disorders. Some people may have hydrocephalus, which is fluid in the brain. The fluid can be drained from the brain from a surgical procedure that uses a special tube called a shunt. A shunt is a tube that carries cerebrospinal fluid from a ventricle in the brain to another part of the body. This does not cause any harm to the patient. The last type, myelomeningocele, is the worst type and requires surgery, no matter what, because it needs to correct the spine to prevent infections. Many babies born with this develops hydrocephalus and additional surgery will be needed. If this is not treated, the child's spinal cord may tether, which does not allow for the spinal cord to develop properly (UCSF, 2002-2016).
People with spina bifida are expected to live a normal lifespan. With the increasing of technology, the life expectancy rate is going up. In 2001, there was a study done with 118 children that were born with spina bifida between 1975 to 1979. Seventy six percent of the children were still alive when they were between twenty and twenty-five. The treatments have increased since then and more and more people are living longer. A couple years later, another survey was done and ninety-five percent of adults are living past thirty and still living a normal adulthood with spina bifida (MOMS, 2016). For example, a man that had spina bifida is seventy-seven and still able to take care of himself (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2008). One reason why some people do not survive with spina bifida is because of the shunt. A malfunction in the shunt causes problems because it will stop draining the fluid from the brain (MOMS, 2016).
Something interesting facts about spina bifida include childrenś learning abilities are not affected simply because they have the disease. Many people think children born with spina bifida have trouble learning and are not as smart. This is inaccurate because the IQ of people living with spina bifida is the same as regular child (HRF, 2015). Another interesting thing about spina bifida is that surgery can be done while the baby is still in the womb if the baby has myelomeningocele. It has shown that it is better to complete the surgery to the baby in the womb than after birth for numerous reasons. The first time this procedure was performed was in 1997 (Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital, 2016).
Spina bifida is a disease the impacts the lives of many people. Although it is a disease, if treated early and properly, individuals with spina bifida can live normal lives. With technology and advancement of medical research, hopefully the negative impacts of spina bifida can continue to be minimized.