What is Spina Bifida? What are the Causes and Symptoms of it?

What is Spina Bifida? Overview

Spina Bifida is a congenital disability in which the spinal cord and spine don’t grow and form accurately. We can say that it is a form of neural tube defect. It is worth mentioning that a neural tube is present in developing embryos, and it is responsible for making the spinal cord, brain, along with tissues that involve in enclosing these organs in the babies.

In a normal baby, the neural tube usually forms in the early stages of the pregnancy. Moreover, after the conception on the 28th day, it is commonly enclosed. On the other hand, in the babies affected by the Spina Bifida, one part of the neural tube fails to develop or close properly, and it will result in defects either on the bones of the spine or spinal cord.

Furthermore, depending upon the location, type of defects and size, this complication can range from mild to serious. Now, let’s discuss the types of Spina Bifida.

Types of Spina Bifida

Spina Bifida has multiple types. So, here we are going to discuss the types of Spina Bifida that include occulta, myelomeningocele. In addition to this, there is a rare type of Spina Bifida that is named meningocele.

Spina Bifida Occulta

The meaning of the word occulta is hidden. It is considered to be the most common and mildest Spina Bifida type. This condition is caused due to the minor separation or gap in either one or more than one bone of your spine.

Myelomeningocele

This type of Spina Bifida is also named open spina Bifida. It is important to mention here that it is the most serious type of spina Bifida. In this condition, the spinal canal remains open along multiple vertebrae in the middle or lower back. The spinal nerves and membranes push via this opening at the time of birth and result in making a sac on the back of the baby. In this way, it will expose nerves and tissues.

Causes of Spina Bifida?

Still, doctors do not know what the exact cause of Spina Bifida is. Experts think that it is caused due to multiple nutritional, genetic and environmental factors. If you have a family history of the neural tube, then there is the possibility that you may get it too. Moreover, if you have a deficiency of folate( vitamin B-9), then it is another alarming factor.

Symptoms of Spina Bifida

As we have mentioned above, Spina Bifida has two types. So, both of these forms have different symptoms so we are going to discuss the symptoms of spina bifida below:

Spina Bifida

Although there are no clear symptoms of this condition because there is no involvement of spinal nerves, still, you can notice some signs on the skin of a newborn, and it is commonly present above spinal defects in the newborn baby such as hair’s abnormal tuft, birthmark or a little dimple.

Final Thoughts

To sum up the article, we would like to say that in this article, we have mentioned the types, causes and symptoms of Spina Bifida. If you have any query feel free to ask in the comments section.