The Effect of Neural Tube Defects on Healthcare

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica (2014), neural tube defects are "congenital brain and spinal defects due to abnormal development of the neural tube". This congenital deficiency is "the most common birth defect in the central nervous system, affecting the brain and spinal cord of 300,000 newborns all over the world every year" (Ricks et al., 2012, p .391). The exact cause of these central nervous system defects is not clear, but there are many contributing factors that can help to prevent the disease.

Neural tube defect (NTD) is a very common birth defect that is the result of the proper formation of early developing brain and spinal primordium (called neural tube). Neural tube closure is a complex and tightly regulated process, rolling up and sealing the first flattened nerve piece to form a neural tube. Although NTD generally has a life-long episode, it is a severe, usually fatal cranial NTD, but it is classified by the extent and position of the neural tube opening. Although the cause of NTD is both genetic factors and environmental factors, these reasons have not been explained and understood so far so far. The genetics formed by NT contain hundreds of genes that must be coordinated in their behavior. Environmental factors include maternal risk factors such as obesity and diabetes, diet choices such as folic acid intake, and so on.

Studies have shown that the lack of folic acid (folate) is a contributing factor in the pathogenesis of neural tube defects including the spina bifida. Supplying folic acid to the mother's diet can reduce the incidence of neural tube defects by approximately 70% and reduce the severity of these deficiencies. It is not clear how folic acid effects this effect or why. The spina bifida does not follow a direct genetic model like muscle atrophy or haemophilia. Studies have shown that children with neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, have an additional 3% risk of childhood. Folate supplementation before pregnancy can reduce this risk. For the general population, low dose folic acid supplement (0.4 mg / day) is recommended.

The spina bifida is the most common neural tube defect. In the developing vertebrate nervous system, the neural tube is a precursor of the central nervous system. Neural tube defects are caused by the inability of the spine to properly close in the first month of pregnancy. The worldwide incidence of spina bifida is 1 to 2 per 1,000 newborns, but the risk of specific population has increased significantly. Myelomyelitis (TM) is a neurological syndrome caused by inflammation of the spinal cord . TM occurs in adults and children, it is not common, but it is not unusual. Conservatively estimated annual incidence is 1 to 5 people per 1 million people. The term myelitis is a nonspecific term for inflammation of the spinal cord; the side refers to the level including traversing the spinal cord. TM usually develops in viral and bacterial infections, particularly in infectious diseases that may be associated with rashes such as rubella, influenza, mumps and colds.