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Neural tube defects, including anencephaly, encephalocele, iniencephaly, and spina bifida, affect the brain and spinal cord during fetal development. Anencephaly and iniencephaly are often fatal, while encephalocele can cause developmental delays and vision problems. Spina bifida can result in nerve damage and paralysis of the legs, as well as other complications. Increasing folic acid intake can help prevent these defects.
Neural tube defects are a type of birth defect. Neural tube defects affect the brain and spinal cord. Examples of neural tube defects include anencephaly, encephalocele, iniencephaly, and spina bifida.
Anencephaly is a problem that occurs during fetal development in which the neural tube does not close. The result is that a large portion of the brain is missing, including the frontal lobe and cerebrum, along with the skull and scalp. The baby usually dies within hours of birth, if not stillborn. The precise cause of anencephaly is not known, but increasing folic acid, also known as vitamin B9, with 4 mg supplements in the diets of women of childbearing age is thought to help reduce anencephaly, as well as other defects of the neural tube, up to 70 percent
Encephaloceles are neural tube defects that are rarer than anencephaly. In cases with encephalocele, the neural tube does not close completely while the fetus is developing, resulting in the brain and its lining protruding through openings in the skull. Other symptoms include microcephaly, an abnormally small sized head, hydrocephalus, an excess of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, and craniofacial abnormalities, among others. A child with this condition may be of normal intelligence or suffer from intelligence problems along with seizures, developmental delays, and vision problems.
Inencephaly is another relatively rare neural tube defect and is caused by incomplete closure of the neural tube. It is related to spina bifida, but more serious, including a spinal deformity so severe that the head is tilted back. It is often accompanied by anencephaly and/or encaphalocele. Most newborns with inyencephaly die within hours. Like related disorders, this neural tube defect is thought to be largely preventable with folic acid.
Spina bifida is, along with anencephaly, one of the two most frequent neural tube defects and one of the most common birth defects that is disabling. In this case, the failure is that the fetal spine does not complete its closure, which usually results in nerve damage that at least partially paralyzes the legs. At a minimum, people with spina bifida may need devices to help them walk, such as braces or crutches and, in some cases, wheelchairs. Other problems that can occur alongside spina bifida include learning disabilities, hydrocephalus, and problems with bladder and bowel control. Like other neural tube defects, folic acid use is thought to help prevent spina bifida.
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