Spina bifida is a malformation of the nervous system that occurs when the neural tube fails to close during the first weeks of pregnancy. It affects approximately one in one thousand infants. In severe cases, the spinal cord protrudes from the vertebral column by several centimeters. This damage to the spinal cord and its nerve endings disrupts nerve function in the lower limbs and affects sphincter control.
Most children born with spina bifida also have hydrocephalus.
The condition is usually apparent at birth, though prenatal diagnosis is often possible. Surgery in the first hours of life is necessary to close the meningeal opening and reposition nerve tissue, reducing infection risk and preserving residual spinal cord function. Milder cases involve loss of sphincter control alone; more severe cases feature malformations and nerve damage to the lower limbs.
The exact causes of spina bifida remain unknown, though genetic factors combined with environmental factors clearly play a role. The condition is particularly prevalent in countries like those across Africa.
Today, 70 to 90 percent of infants born with spina bifida reach adulthood, and 80 percent of them have normal intelligence and manage incontinence successfully. Intermittent catheterization, performed four to five times daily, reduces the risk of kidney complications. Increasingly personalized bracing and lightweight wheelchairs enable independent mobility. Orthopedic surgery can correct certain deformities.
Folic acid supplementation before conception and during the first weeks of pregnancy can reduce the risk of spina bifida by 75 percent.