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Treatments, yes. Please see the Related question below. There are no known cures for Spina Bifida.
What else can I help you with?
What gene does Spina Bifida affect?
Spina bifida has not been proven to derive from any one gene.
How do chromosomes affect Spina Bifida?
There has been no correlation found between any specific chromosomes and developing spina bifida.
What are the food that cause spina bifida?
Spina Bifida is not caused by any particular food. It is caused by lack of a vitamin, folic acid, which can be obtained FROM foods.
How do you get information on Spina Bifida?
You can look up the term Spina Bifida on any search engine, plus read the information available on this site, in the Spina Bifida category: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/FAQ/7113Also you can go to the Related link below for information.
Is there any connection between Spina Bifida and Lou Gherigs?
No, there is no connnection between Spina Bifida and Lou Gherig's disease, aka Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Spina Bifida is a birth defect and ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, but is not present at birth.
what does Spina bifida look like?
Often there is no physical difference in the appearance of a person with Spina Bifida Occulta than any other person. But sometimes there may be a patch of hair on the lower back, or a "dimple" on the lower back that is an indication of Spina Bifida Occulta.
Does a child have any risk with spina bifida dimpling?
This is a type of spina bifida but the mildest form. Usually no nerve damage occurs. It usually is seen with a tuff of hair.
Is there any research being done to help cure Spina Bifida?
Spina Bifida is a birth defect, it cannot be "cured" once the person has it; it can only be prevented when the child is in the womb. But yes, there is research being done on Spina Bifida, such as research to understand all the factors that cause it.
How many people were born with spina bifida in the 1970's?
One in one thousand babies are born with spina bifida. Therefore, this rate can be extrapolated to the number of total births (in any location, and in any period of time).
What happens if you were not diagnosed with Spina Bifida as a child?
That is unlikely to happen unless you have the mildest form of Spina Bifida, known as Spina Bifida Occulta. If you were not diagnosed with it as a child, it might be discovered during an X-ray or MRI. It could explain any leg weakness, back pain, or bowel or bladder problems you have had, if you have had these problems. But many people with Spina Bifida Occulta do not have any symptoms at all other than a dimple or hair patch on the skin at the location on the spine where the defect is.
Does Spina Bifida go away?
Yes. It will require surgery at 1 to 2 days old to close the opening in the spine, then possibly a shunt, which is a tube to drain water off of the brain (hydrocephalus) and then during the rest of the childhood, orthopedic surgeries to straighten the legs and maximize their function, as well as possibly bladder surgery to fix any bladder control problem. The child may never walk or be able to control the function of the bowels and bladder, or they may, depending on the level of the paralysis.
What is spina bifida oculta?
Spina Bifida Occulta is the mildest from of this neural tube defect where the spinal cord fails to develop properly. Spina Bifida Occulta can be asymptomatic, meaning you may never know you have it or get any symptoms. The treatments for this type of Spina Bifida depend on what complications or symptoms arise from the defect, if any. Mostly chiropractic and pain issues.
