Brain and spinal cord
The brain is the headquarters that gives orders for our movement such as standing, walking, sitting and running. It is controlled and activated by our spinal cord, which is like a primary cord. Nature has created these two important organs like brain and spinal cord with multiple layers of protection.
Just as the brain is protected by a three-layered covering called the meninges and above it a firm ring called the cranium, similarly the meningeal sheaths and the spinal bones provide protection for the nervous system emerging from the brain. CSF also helps to keep the brain protected. Cerebrospinal fluid regulates and protects the heat of the spinal nerves. On top of all this, the skin, a vital organ, works like a refrigerator that transfers heat, so we can function.
However, for a few people, in the early days of embryo formation, one or both of these protective rings may fail to form due to various reasons. The medical world calls the formation of brain with cranial defect as Encephalocele and the formation of nervous system with spinal cord defect as Spina bifida with myelocele.
What problem?
To put it simply, if the light bulb that burns in our house without a glass shield is a defect in the brain, then it can be called spina bifida if the house’s electrical wires are not inside the protective tube, but spread all over the wall and the wall is collapsing.
According to statistics, this congenital defect called spina bifida can occur in five out of a thousand children due to gestational diabetes, pregnancy germs, malnutrition, medication taken by the mother for epilepsy, and genetic factors of the parents. This deficiency, which is more common in Asian and African countries, affects slightly more girls.
Knots of trouble
The problem is that these unshielded spinal cord nerves look like wires, and the symptoms of spina bifida vary depending on where the defect is located in the spinal cord and the length and width of the defect. Surgeries to address a spina bifida defect vary accordingly. A very small number of people with this defect may develop a condition called Spina Bifida Occulta, which is completely unknown and has no symptoms.
However, in most children, spina bifida cystica, paralysis of the legs without movement, weakness in the leg muscles – in the knees, urinary incontinence, mental retardation, meningitis, epilepsy – easily contagious infections etc. can occur. Thus, those children are forced to depend on others for all activities throughout their lives. It can lead to frequent medical visits and spending most of the life in hospitals.
This birth defect called spina bifida can be detected in the fetus through regular prenatal scanning. A blood test called MSAFP is also done to confirm after the NT scan at twelfth week of pregnancy and target scanning at twentieth week. Target scanning can detect spina bifida as well as other defects and make decisions about treatment appropriate for the defect.
The story of monster children
In the 1950s when such scanning facilities did not exist, people considered such babies to be mere flesh babies, monster babies. According to Riva Lehrer’s autobiography ‘Golem Girl: A Memoir’, children born in this way died at birth due to an ancestor’s curse. Riva Lehrer tearfully describes how she too was treated as a Golem Girl.
Riva, who says that the question “Was I born a woman, a human being or just a ball of dirt born alive?” has arisen for her, has detailed the difficulties she faced. When the world thought he was a monstrous child, it was the doctors who gradually made him a man through various operations; He also says that his mother supported him through it all. Riva’s scarred biography underscores the chronicity of the disease.
In today’s age of medical technology, children with spina bifida like Harper May have undergone more than ten spinal surgeries by the age of three, medical treatments, special walkers, rehabilitation, and constant support to make the child normal.
How to prevent?
Is it possible to prevent spina bifida from causing so many problems? It is very easy to prevent. When you eat green vegetables, spinach, fruits, pulses, nuts, whole grains etc., naturally occurring folic acid in these, DNA and RNA of the cells. It helps a lot in growth and brain-nerve development. Also, it prevents birth defects like spina bifida, encephalocele by 70-75%.
This simple ‘B’ vitamin called folic acid is celebrated as the ‘friend of the foetus’ as it not only benefits the developing baby, but also controls miscarriage and premature birth and is a cure for anemia in the mother. But because folic acid in naturally occurring foods dissolves in water and breaks down during cooking, 400 to 600 mcg folic acid tablets are recommended during pregnancy.
It is necessary for women to consume it not only in the early stages of pregnancy, but also before conception and even when they are of marriageable age. This is why the government provides free iron-folic acid tablets to pregnant women and women who have reached puberty.
October is Spina Bifida Awareness Month. We need more awareness about spina bifida and healthy eating habits so that our offspring can live healthy lives without disabilities. The health of the next generation is in our hands.