Essay On Spina Bifida

Purpose: The purpose of this outline is to act as a guide and accompaniment to the Fetal Fibronectin Power Point as well as an aid for the Case Study learning activity.

Deficiency of the micronutrient folate continues to significantly affect the health of pregnant women and their children, globally. A great cause of concern with folate deficiency is the occurrence of Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) in new-born babies due to abnormal early foetal development. According to Greene et al. (2016), NTDs are abnormalities to the formation of the brain, spinal cord or related structures from early foetal development. The rate of the prevalence of NTDs varies between countries from 0.3 to 199.4 cases per 10,000 births. In Australia specifically, approximately 19.5 cases of NTDs occurred per 10,000 cases between 2009 and 2010 (Zaganjoy et al.,

A birth defect is preventable if the mother would take folic acid prior of becoming pregnant (U.S. Department of Health and Services, 2016). These reduce the chances of having a defect by 50-70% for neural tube defects. Some recommendations such as having a healthy weight, not to use illegal drugs, getting vaccinated, taking prenatal and or during pregnancy vitamins, having recommended screening test, controlling

Spina Bifida literally means “split spine”. It is the most common permanent disabling birth defect in the United States. It happens when the brain, spinal cord do not completely develop. It is the most common neural tube defect in the United States- affecting 1500 to 2000 of more than four million babies in each year. An estimate shows 166,000 individual lives with Spina Bifida in the United States. I choose this disorder because many people do not about the effects, causes, symptoms and treatments about the disorder and I wanted to know more about spina bifida.

Pregnancy is a very difficult time in a women’s life, everything that is digested, breathed, and felt affects the fetus. Teratogens are factors that cause developmental problems of an embryo. These factors include stress; toxin such as drug and cigarette use, the health and even the age of the mother can have an impact on the development of the fetus. Teratogen can cause birth defect that may lead to life long consequences to the child. I am very passionate about this topic due to the alarming increase of birth defects and abnormalities that have been occurring during my generation. In America one in every thirty-three babies are born with a defect

You can avoid spina bifida by taking 400 micrograms of folic acid each day, even if you are not arranging to become pregnant. Also, some studies have revealed that if all woman would take a B-vitamin folic acid then the neural tube defects would be decreased by a whole 70%! Folic acid is a water soluble vitamin B source, and it helps make and build nice hearty cells. Although, it does not flow throughout the body long, that’s why you would have to take it once a day. If you have a bigger opportunity for your child to have spina bifida, then you should take a bit more of the vitamins. 10% is the right amount, so that would be about 4,000 ml of folic acid. One of the most efficient ways to make sure your offspring does not end up with the disability spina bifida is to take folic acid in the first three months of pregnancy and before the pregnancy as well. Also if you didn’t know, in the 1990s a study was done. It said that 70% of the neural tube defects could be stopped by a good dose of again, folic acid before and in early pregnancy. A accurate program of education that is taught publicly and the factor of putting folic acid in flavored foods has reduced the amount of neural tube defects in just a couple

The MSAFP test is an examination of the levels of Alpha-Fetoprotein in the mother's blood during pregnancy. Spina Bifida does not have a known cause. Doctors say that genes and the environment may have something to do with the birth defect. Spina bifida treatment depends on the condition of the birth defect. Spina bifida often doesn't need treatment at all. Surgery after birth, prenatal surgery are treatments for Spina Bifida. The after birth surgery is Meningocele which involves surgery to put the meninges back in place and close the opening in the vertebrae. Prenatal surgery is where the surgeons expose a pregnant mother's uterus surgically, open the uterus and repair the baby's spinal cord. Treatment continues on through the baby's life. Irreparable nerve damage has already happened and continuous care from a team of surgeons, physicians and therapists is usually needed. Babies with myelomeningocele may need more operations for a lot of different types of complications. Even when children have Spina bifida most children can walk short distances, usually with braces, canes or crutches, although they may need wheelchairs for longer

Spina bifida is a lifelong disability that affects the spinal column. In regards to childhood speech and language disorders, spina bifida affects different people in various ways. Although spina bifida is a disorder affecting the spinal cord, certain types may affect speech and language development, which may require speech therapy depending on the severity. Evaluation tools and methods are used to determine those individuals in need of speech therapy. Once evaluations have been administered individuals receiving proper treatment can hope to achieve age appropriate or at least functional language skills.

Nutritional status of an adolescent plays a role in the development of anemia during pregnancy. A systematic review published by Bio-Med Central analyzes the nutritional status of adolescent pregnant women. The review stated several areas of concern in

Spina bifida, a type of birth defect meaning, “cleft spine” affects many babies around the globe in that their neural tube incorrectly closes and affects their spinal cord and brain. The three most common types of spina bifida are spina bifida occulta, meningocele, and myelomeningocele—in the order of least to the most debilitating. The birth defect is most commonly diagnosed with the Maternal Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein blood test, as well as other tests. The complications occurring with the most severe case of spina bifida include meningitis and the Chiari II malformation. Spina bifida can be treated with a wide variety and number of surgeries such as prenatal surgery, as well as prevented by intake of folic acid. The birth defect, spina

However, not having enough folate in a pregnant women’s diet while pregnant or after, and genetic or environmental factors can contribute to Spina Bifida. It is recommended that women consume folic acid in the form of prenatal vitamins before, during, and after pregnancy to help prevent spina bifida. Pregnant women should not sit in saunas or hot tubs since this could increase the chance of having a baby with Spina Bifida.

Research shows a 90% decrease in iron deficiency in DCC clinical trial at 4 months of age (Anderson et al)

Additionally, carrying out chromosomal microarray was also significant since it also revealed the presence of pathogenic number changes as well as the possibilities of microdeletion that is considered a risk factor with regards to autism, intellectual disability, seizures, as well as malformations. Similarly, measurement of antibodies in three of the samples was also ideal because it provided information of the level – whether high-positive 0r low-positive – of the antibody which is known to block the folate from binding to folate transporter from the blood to the brain. Finally, carrying out a workup for the metabolic disorders following the guidelines suggest by Rossignol & Frye (2011) was also ideal. This is because it enabled determine the elevation levels of biochemical markers that are known for their contribution to mitochondrial dysfunction. These steps were indeed significant because, as is apparent in literature, they give a vivid comprehension on how reduction in mitochondrial roles define mitochondrial deficiencies.

When given to the anticipant mothers during their conception time, folates may help prevent neural tube defects in the newborns. Arugula being a rich source of folates, decreases occurrences of many mental defects in newborn children.

Neural tube defects have a very negative impact on our society. Adding folic acid to our food will have positive social implications because it will reduce the occurrence of babies diagnosed with NTDs. Since the USA’s mandatory fortification of folic acid in 1998, statistics have revealed that there are approximately 1300 less NTD cases than pre-fortification statistics indicated.10 This would significantly benefit families who would instead have healthy babies, saving them the emotional distress of having a child with an NTD and allowing them to live without the high demands and healthcare costs involved with caring for a child with an NTD. This will also impact the wider society, as babies with NTDs have a large impact on society due to the significant costs to the health and disability sectors. A reduction in the number of babies requiring lifelong care will save society millions of dollars and will greatly improve the quality of life of the babies themselves.