Spina Bifida News and Research

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Spina bifida is a neural tube defect that happens in the first month of pregnancy when the spinal column does not close completely. According to the Mayo Clinic, approximately one in every 2,000 children born in the U.S. is diagnosed with spina bifida. Risk factors include the presence of a neural tube defect in a previous child, lack of folic acid, some medications, diabetes and the mother's age. Most patients with spina bifida have neurogenic bladders. Neurogenic bladders function poorly and over time, without correction, can result in kidney damage and ultimately kidney failure.

More women need to know about folic acid's ability to prevent birth defects

Each year in Minnesota, more than 2,000 babies are born with birth defects. Many of those birth defects likely could have been prevented if the mother had taken enough folic acid.

10 Jan 2006

Gene discovery may prevent craniofacial birth defects

Craniofacial researchers have developed an animal model that explains how skull malformations occur and how they might be prevented.

22 Dec 2005

Twins, triplets have greater chance of birth defects

Twins, triplets and other multiples have a nearly 50 percent greater chance of being born with birth defects, and boys tend to be more at risk than girls, according to two population-based studies conducted at the University of Florida.

5 Dec 2005

Eat your way to a better brain for your baby

A team of British scientists at Manchester and Lancaster Universities has turned established thinking on its head in a bid to understand the serious and often deadly condition, hydrocephalus, commonly known as 'water on the brain'.

From The University of Manchester 28 Nov 2005

Tissue engineering used to reconstruct defective tracheas (windpipes) in fetal lambs

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston report using tissue engineering to reconstruct defective tracheas (windpipes) in fetal lambs, first using cells from the amniotic fluid to grow sections of cartilage tube, and then implanting these living grafts into the lambs while still in the womb.

9 Oct 2005

High blood glucose levels early in pregnancy deprive the embryo of oxygen

The babies of women with diabetes are two to five times more likely to develop birth defects than offspring of women without the disease.

4 Oct 2005

Survey highlights the need to increase folic acid fortification of the grain supply

Only one-third of childbearing age women are taking a multivitamin containing the B vitamin folic acid daily to prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spine in their future babies, according to a decade of March of Dimes surveys.

3 Oct 2005

Folic acid levels should be double to provide maximum protection during pregnancy

Reports say that the U.S. government decision to add folic acid to enriched grain products has reduced the incidence of two devastating birth defects. but more needs to be done.

6 Sep 2005

Folic acid fortification of grain foods has produced a one-third decline in serious birth defects of the brain and spine

...but the March of Dimes urged federal officials to help spare a greater number of babies from these devastating conditions by requiring higher levels of the B vitamin.

6 Sep 2005

Psychological distress of parents of children with spina bifida

Parents of children with spina bifida suffer from more psychological distress than parents of able-bodied children. Research published in the open access journal BMC Pediatrics reveals that having a child with spina bifida (SB) has a negative effect on parents' psychological well-being.

25 Aug 2005

Neural tube defects decrease with folic acid fortification

A new study published online April 21, 2005 in the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A examines whether the recent decline in neural tube defects in Chile was due to the addition of folic acid to wheat flour in that country or to pre-existing decreasing trends. The journal is available online via Wiley InterScience.

21 Apr 2005

Anticonvulsant drug valproate poses greater birth-defect risk than suspected

Use of the anticonvulsant drug valproate during pregnancy may pose a significantly great risk of birth defects than does use of other antiseizure medications.

22 Mar 2005

Brewing up potential anti-cancer drugs from green tea

Drinking green tea has a protective effect against some forms of cancer but drinking large amounts can increase the risk of birth defects such as spina bifida – according to previous epidemiological studies.

15 Mar 2005

Folic acid recommendations have had little impact on incidence of neural tube defects

Recommendations on use of folic acid consumption have had no detectable impact on the incidence of neural tube defects, according to an international study published on bmj.com.

20 Feb 2005

Scientists gain ground in understanding cell motility

One of the most basic yet least understood processes in our bodies is how cells crawl along tissues. This behavior is essential to the formation of an embryo and other processes, but it must be tightly controlled. A disturbance can lead to the spread of cancer cells or diseases like Spina bifida and Lissencephaly, in which cells fail to reach their proper destinations.

26 Jan 2005

70% of cases of spina bifida are preventable by folic-acid supplementation

A seminar in this week’s issue of THE LANCET discusses the causes, symptoms, and treatments relating to spina bifida, and reinforces an important public-health message for women about to become pregnant

18 Nov 2004

Balanced diet reduces the risk of a baby with spina bifida

According to Dutch researcher Pascal Groenen, a balanced diet reduces the risk of a baby with spina bifida. He investigated how different nutritional components affected the risk of developing this condition.

11 Oct 2004

Folic acid can dramatically reduce the incidence of spina bifida and other birth defects

A study, published today in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, shows that the proportion of babies born with neural tube defects in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador dropped by 78% after the Canadian Government directed that folic acid must be added to flour, cornmeal and pasta. The study supports the continuation of this food fortification strategy.

23 Sep 2004

Spina bifida on the decline in Australia

The number of babies with spina bifida or similar abnormalities has declined by over 40 per cent since 1995, Australia's Minister for Health, Bronwyn Pike, said yesterday.

15 Sep 2004

Botox injections to treat children with cerebral palsy

Botox injections are best known for reducing wrinkles on the face. However, experts at Loyola University Health System are finding new ways to use the injections in children with cerebral palsy, with most benefit in patients who are younger than 5 years old.

12 Sep 2004