Question

Nancy just delivered a baby that had an abnormality to his back. Where he was born with his spinal cord malformed and protruded through his back out through his vertebrae that did not fuse around it. In addition to his early physical appearance, when he was older he was not able to walk. What disease does this baby have? What vitamin/mineral was the mother deficient in during pregnancy?

Answer 1

Answer- (1)Certain spinal defects are among the most common types of birth defects.

During fetal development, the neural tube is the tissue that develops into the brain and spinal cord. Typically, it closes by the 28th day after conception. In some cases, however, the tube does not close fully, leading to a neural tube defects (NTDs) such as spina bifida.

With spinal cord defects, the spinal cord of the fetus does not develop properly. These babies may have different health conditions like incontinence, loss of sensation, and paralysis depending on the severity of the defect.

(2) Neural tube defects like spina bifida are associated with a deficiency of folic acid. Pregnant women are instructed to take at least 400 mcg of folic acid each day during their pregnancy. Women who are trying to conceive should start the folic acid early.