Spina Bifida Awareness Month

Spina Bifida Awareness Month

Spina Bifida Awareness Month is observed in October. This is an important awareness month because Spina Bifida is the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the United States. Every day in the United States, eight babies are born with Spina Bifida or a similar birth defect that affects the brain and spine, according to the Spina Bifida Association. For this reason, Spina Bifida Awareness Month educates the public about Spina Bifida.

As a community, we can do this by raising awareness about Spina Bifida either in our own circles or to the larger networks of which we are a part. It is also a great time for us to challenge ourselves to find new ways to get involved in raising awareness and in advocacy activities. While there is no cure for Spina Bifida, there are several treatments that can help manage the impairment and prevent complications. Wear a yellow awareness pin, fabric ribbon or silicone awareness wristband bracelet for Spina Bifida Awareness Month.

Wear a Yellow Awareness Pin, Fabric Ribbon or Wristband for Spina Bifida Awareness Month in October!

Spina Bifida is a type of neural tube defect, which means it affects the spine. Each year, thousands of people in the United States are born with the condition. The range of symptoms differs from person to person. For example, some people  have such a mild condition that they don’t know they have it. Yet, others have a more severe form that affects them physically and intellectually. Spina Bifida is a major birth defect of a baby’s spine. It is one of the most common, permanently disabling birth defects in the United States.

Each year about 1,500 pregnancies are affected by Spina Bifida in the United States.

Spina Bifida occurs within the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before a woman knows she is pregnant. It happens when the spine and back bones do not close all the way. When this happens, the spinal cord and back bones do not form as they should. A sac of fluid comes through an opening in the baby’s back. Much of the time, part of the spinal cord is in this sac and it is damaged. Surgery is generally performed within 24-48 hours of birth to repair the spinal opening, but the damage is permanent.

Most children born with Spina Bifida live full lives, though they often have lifelong disabilities and need many surgeries.

Some of the problems that a person born with Spina Bifida might face include:

Can It Be Prevented?

Many cases of Spina Bifida can be prevented. Folic acid is a B vitamin that the body needs to make healthy new cells. If a woman has enough folic acid in her body before and during pregnancy, her baby is less likely to have Spina Bifida or another defect of the brain or spine. Women need to take folic acid every day, starting before they get pregnant. Every woman who could possibly get pregnant should take 400 micrograms (400 μg or 0.4 mg) of folic acid daily in a vitamin or in foods that have been enriched with folic acid.

Visit the website www.folicacideveryday.org to learn more about Folic Acid and where to find rich sources of it.  Information on folic acid and Spina Bifida can also be found at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

New Medical Treatments

Fortunately, with new medical treatments, education, and community support, most people born with Spina Bifida can expect to live a full and productive life. Today, well over ninety percent of the babies born with Spina Bifida can be expected to reach adulthood.