How does Spina Bifida affect the bladder?

Answer 1

Answer

Bowel and bladder function are controlled by nerves which come from the lowest levels of the spinal column. Therefore, almost all individuals with Spina Bifida will have trouble controlling their bowel and bladder function. Close attention to emptying the bladder, promptly treating urinary tract infections and maintaining kidney function is essential to preserving the health of individuals with Spina Bifida.

Answer 2

The effect on the nervous system is directly related to the severity of the defect, as a NTD the damage can run anywhere from the brain to the tip of the spinal column.

Spina bifida occulta has a relatively minute effect, usually leaving a dimple or a birth mark where the skin closed. Until recently there was no known conditions resulting from occulta. Research is now pointing to people with this condition having more severe Back pain following an injury to the region, without being the the cause of injury.


Myelodysplasias are also called neural tube defects, which refer to their origin as developmental abnormalities of the central nervous system. These developmental
abnormalities can occur at any site along the length of the brain and spinal cord.


With severe forms of NTD there can be catastrophic damage, due to the spine and nerves pushing through the gap in the baby's back. Possibly leaving the spinal cord open and unprotected at birth and extremely susceptible to infection. In these cases the spinal cord is either malformed or damaged causing deficit including paralysis of the legs and nerve damage to the bowel and bladder.


Anencephaly occurs when the brain does not develop, in the most severe the baby is usually stillborn or dies shortly after birth. In over 75% of spina bifida, the NTD also involves brain abnormalities, the most common associated abnormality of the cerebellum, being Arnold--Chiari malformation. In affected individuals the back portion of the brain is displaced from the back of the skull down into the upper neck. In approximately 90 percent of the people with myelomeningocele, hydrocephalus will also occur because the displaced cerebellum interferes with the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Anytime there is brain tissue damage there is an increase in CNS symptoms from LD or ADD to severe mental retardation, paralysis, blindness or deafness, all depending on the location and the amount of damage.

Answer 3

Spina bifida can involve an incomplete development of the brain, caused by the failure of the fetus's spine to close properly during the first month of pregnancy. Some individuals have a learning disability, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Answer 4

Spina Bifida will usually require multiple surgeries in childhood, and the use of crutches and braces or a wheelchair, as well as a structured program for bowel and urinary elimination. Some children with Spina Bifida will require a shunt, which is a tube for draining excess cerebrospinal fluid from the brain. Some children with Spina Bifida will have learning disabilities, but not all do.

Answer 5

This is a birth defect that occurs when the embryo is first forming a spine. At this time it is called a spinal fold. It must fold just tight. Sometimes it will not and there will be cord damage.

Answer 6

Because the nerves that control the bladder are damaged.