The Defects of Neural Tube

The central nervous system of the baby starts out like a sheet of cells that then rolls up and turns into a tube as it matures. The front part of the tube, that closes somewhat on day twenty-three of life, turns into the brain. The other end that closes on the twenty-eighth day turns into the lower part of the spinal cord. If for some reason one of the two extremes does not close, there will be defects of the neural tube. The most common defects of the neural tube are spinal bifid, and anencephaly. These defects cause abnormalities in the nervous system, such as paralysis, excess amount of liquid in the brain, and mental retardation. Babies with this condition generally do not survive more then a few days after birth.

Although this all sounds pretty extreme, they are not common defects fortunately. But it is a good idea to know about them because in almost every country there are tests to help identify them and because there are certain recommendations that can be given to reduce the possibility of having a baby with a neural tube defect, such as taking folic acid before conceiving and controlling the level of sugar in the blood if you suffer from diabetes etc.

The incidence of this disease varies a lot in different countries. Nobody knows exactly why, but the interaction between the environment and the genetic configuration has something to do with this. If you or the father has a family history of neural tube defects, tell your doctor because this will lightly increase the risk of having a baby with this defect, and so that you can talk to the doctor about your options. Besides this, if in an earlier pregnancy you were diagnosed with this defect of if it forms part of your family history, increase the amount of folic acid you are taking to 4 milligrams a day.