Essay On Spina Bifida

Spina bifida is a genetic disease that can be severe if not detected and treated early. If left gone unnoticed, spina bifida could have life-threatening consequences. Fortunately for those who have the disease, there are varying types of the disease that impact their lives in different ways. In order to treat/eliminate the disease, one must understand preventative ways to help decrease the likeliness of getting the disease along with properly detecting the signs for those young babies still in the womb. By understanding more about this disease, one can possibly help decrease the total amount of individuals who are impacted by spina bifida. Spina bifida is a defect of the spine where part of the spinal cord and its meninges are exposed

Spina bifida occulta causes problems such as foot deformity, weakness and reduced sensation of the legs, change in hand function, and bladder infections. This happens because the spinal cord becomes tethered into the backbone (Shine, 2011). The second type of spina bifida is spina bifida meningocele. This is where the protective membranes around the spinal cord push through the opening in the vertebrate. This is the rarest type and it is very easy to spot. Common symptoms of this type are a pain in the back, a spinal mass, paralyzed legs, or bladder dysfunction. A person would be able to notice this type on their back because there is a sac on the spine covered by a thin layer of skin. Potential problems of this type of spina bifida can be partial paralysis, urinary and bowel dysfunction, and excess fluid in the brain. The fluid in the brain is called hydrocephalus. The last type of spina bifida is myelomeningocele, also called open spina bifida. This is what people actually mean when they refer to spina bifida. Myelomeningocele is where the baby's spinal canal