Live Life Team
Symptoms:
The two factors that the acuteness of the indications depends on are:
On which part of the spine is the aperture, and if the baby has already acquired hydrocephalus.
In case the aperture is at the apex of the spine then there are chances mostly that the lower limbs could be totally paralysed and there could be other difficulties in moving about, as compared to cases in which the aperture is at the centre or the bottom of the spine. In cases where the children acquire hydrocephalus they are more prone to difficulties in learning as compared to the other cases.
There are various symptoms of spina bifida, these can be generalised under three categories, and they are:
Mobility symptoms like weakness of the muscles or paralysis,
Cognitive symptoms like difficulty in solving problems or reading
Bowel and bladder symptoms like incontinence in bowel and urine.
As the brain manages the muscles of the body with the help of the nerves which go all through the spinal cord, if there is any harm to the nerves then there could be a problem in managing the muscles. These are the mobility symptoms of spina bifida. In most of the cases there would be lower limbs paralysis to a certain extent. In case of partial paralysis the child might have to use canes or leg braces which would help him in walking, whereas in cases of total paralysis a wheelchair is necessary.
The other complications linked to paralysis are that the legs muscles could get crucially weak as they are not being used. This could in turn affect the development of the bones as they are supported by the muscles, causing more problems like:
Hip dislocation,
Scoliosis that is peculiar curving of the spine,
Dislocation of the joints
Bones that are of a peculiar shape.
Cognitive symptoms: The brain is affected by the neural tube defects. As a result there is abnormal development of the brain and this is called Arnold Chiari type 2 malformation. In this case the chief region cerebellum of the brain is affected. The cerebellum is in charge of concentration, processing of language and co-ordination physically, which are the cognitive functions. If the brain gets damaged further then hydrocephalus takes place.
The children who suffer from spina bifida could face a few difficulties in learning, like:
Physical and visual coordination,
Attention span is very short,
Difficulty in abstract concept understanding,
Difficulty in solving problems,
Difficulty in detailing plans or organising activities,
Difficulty in reading,
Difficulty in understanding a language like when there are quick talks, group discussions or if the language is complicated.
Bladder and bowel symptoms: The nerves, just like controlling the limbs also control the bladder and the bowel, especially the sphincter muscles which are present in both the bowel and the bladder.
These muscles operate like a gate; it relaxes to let the stools and urine out and contracts to keep the stools and urine in. But people who suffer from spina bifida have either no control or very less control on the sphincter muscles as a result these people suffer from incontinence in the bowel.
Causes:
There are various factors that cause spina bifida like:
Obesity: women who are obese are more prone to deliver children who suffer from spina bifida
Folic acid: this is the most noteworthy factor of spina bifida, inadequate ingestion of folic acid when you are pregnant.
Diabetes: women who are diabetic are more prone to deliver babies who suffer from spina bifida; this could be as a result of surplus quantity of glucose in the blood which could be interfering in the growth of the child.
Previous pregnancy: In case you have already had a child suffering from spina bifida then you are prone to deliver the next one too suffering from the same.
Medication: There are 2 kinds of medicines which are proved to cause spina bifida they are, carbamazepine and valporic.
