Informative Essay On Spina Bifida

* Following a SCI, the first priority is often to help the patient develop as much possible strength in the

According to Wikipedia, Spina bifida is a birth defect where there is incomplete closure of the backbone and membranes around the spinal cord (Spina Bifida). This incomplete closure of the back is most often located on the lower back, but sometimes can occur on

Cerebral palsy refers to a group of chronic disorders that involve degrees of brain damage that affect body control and movement. The term cerebral refers to the brain, while palsy describes a disorder that impairs the control of body movement. These disorders are not the result of muscles or nerves problems. Instead, they are due to impaired motor areas in the brain that disrupt its ability to control movement and posture. The condition typically appears within the first few years of life and it is not marked by regression. (Mecham, 1986)

In Canada, a clinical study by De Wals et al was performed to assess whether or not folic acid fortification has an effect on the recurrence of NTDs (neural tube defects), especially on upper and lower birth defects called spina bifida (De Wals et al., 2008). The study was performed in three different regions in Canada: the eastern, western and central provinces (De Wals et al., 2008). Furthermore, the population of the study was conducted on three different types of births which were livebirths, stillbirths, and termination of pregnancies, and the study was carried out through three periods included prefortification, partial fortification and full fortifications (De Wals et al., 2008). The researchers followed the scientific investigation

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.

Children can go under go a countless amount of surgeries to help them work through spina bifida, however it is almost impossible for the child to get through their lives without symptoms going unnoticed. There are many different stages of spina bifida going from minor symptoms like a limp in their walk to being pretty much completely paralyzed. There have been many famous people with spina bifida such as athletes, actors, writers, and more. By sharing these famous people with children with spina bifida it will help them look at life more positively. There are ways that parents can have a better chance at avoiding spina bifida, however there is no way to completely get rid of the chances of the child having the disease. Before scientists went into research on spina bifida the children were not likely to live past a year. Spina Bifida is a horrific birth defect, and hopefully with continuing studies spina bifida average rate will continue to

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 type of birth defect called a neural tube defect, it happens if the spinal column of the fetus does not close completely during the first month or pregnancy, that can damage the nerves and spinal cord" (U.S National Library Medicine, 2014). Spina bifida's symptoms are defending on how severe the defect is. Children with mild form of spina bifida do not have any problems. According to WebMD, children with the most severe form often, have spine, and brain issues that cause serious problems (2014). Scientists believed that spina bifida is caused by a condition of genetic and environmental factors such as the mother's nutrition. "The long-term problems associated with spina bifida are; bowel problems, hydrocephalus surgery, muscles

Approximately 7,800 people suffer from a new spinal cord injury every year in the United States. Eighty-two percent of spinal cord injuries happen to males. The age group most at risk for spinal cord injury is 16-30 years old. Fifteen percent of spinal cord injuries are a result of violence, forty-eight percent result from motor vehicle accidents, and twenty-one percent result from falls. Suffering a spinal cord injury can result in a complete change in lifestyle. It can affect relationships, ability to work, and basic daily tasks such as bathing. My research question will address some of the ways a paraplegic has to adjust his daily routine, things they have to be aware of following a spinal cord injury, as well as focus on ways they can become

Spina bifida is a neural tube birth defect that affects about 3,000 babies in the U.S. every year. Spina bifida comes from Latin terms that mean split spine. The disease occurs early in pregnancy while the baby is in the womb when the neural tube does not develop correctly (Lutkenhoff, 1999). Because the neural tube eventually becomes the nervous system and the spine, spina bifida affects the nervous system. It also indirectly affects many systems of the body because your nerves control everything your body does (Spina Bifida: The Facts, 2014).

Spinal cord injury is a serious problem that effects close to 250,000 people in the United States with 10,000 people being injured per year . There are many things that can lead to spinal cord injury, including athletic injuries, car accidents, and recreational activities like swimming and biking. It primarily effects those between the ages of 16 and 30 and drastically effects the rest of their lives. It is a very debilitating injury that requires extensive medical care, often leaves the patients in a great deal of pain for the rest of their lives(2), and the treatment of which costs $10 billion dollars a year in the US.(facts from site 1) With all of these factors spurring research on there is a strong drive to

In a women’s 2nd trimester of her pregnancy, she can have a blood test called the “quadruple screen” to determine if her child has spina bifida. The fetus and placenta give off a protein called AHP (maternal alpha-fetoprotein), which will appear in the mother’s bloodstream. If the test shows a higher than average level of AFP (maternal alpha-fetoprotein) then it may indicate that the baby has a spinal opening. Sometimes doctors can diagnose with an ultrasound on the baby in utero, many times the malformation can be seen. However, the baby may not be diagnosed until birth. In this case, the doctor would run an MRI, CT, or X-ray to confirm the status of the

Spina Bifida is a neural tube defect that is present at birth. It is thought to be caused by a folic acid deficiency in the first month of pregnancy. This disease can be either symptomatic or asymptomatic. There are three types of Spina Bifida including: Spina Bifida Occulta, Spina Bifida Meningocele, and Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele. The main treatment for Spina Bifida is surgery that occurs right after birth to close the spinal opening and could include several more surgeries throughout the child’s life.

The second type of open neural tube defect is known as myelmeningocele. Myelmeningocele occurs when the spinal column end of the neural tube fails to close (Mitchell, 2005). This type of neural defect is more well-known by its common name, spina bifida. This is very similar to anencephaly because both have to do with an end of the of the hollow tube not closing correctly. As seen above, having an end of the neural tube not close correctly causes missing parts of the body at the point where the defect occurred. In a similar way, spina bifida causes missing skin and body portions at the spinal end of the neural tube. This missing portion usually occurs at the bottom end of the spinal cord, but it is also possible that the missing portion can

It’s very unfortunate that there are no ways to reverse the damages happened to the spinal cord. There are various researchers who are continually putting in great efforts for new treatments. Such researches has outcomes such as prostheses as well as medications that helps in nerve cell regeneration or even improvement in the functioning of the nerves that remain after a spinal cord