Spina Bifida

Tiandrea Rice, Staff Writer

Spina Bifida is a birth defect that causes a incomplete closing on the back bone and membranes around the spinal cord.

Types- occulta, Meningocele and myelomeningocele
Most common is on the lower back; it’s rare to have cases that are on the middle of the back or on the neck.
Mild signs of occulta are a hairy patch, dimple, dark spot or swelling around the gap in the spine. Meningocele causes mild problems with a sac of fluid on the gap of the spin. Myelomeningocele/Open Spina Bifida is the most severe form.
Problems that happen when someone has Spina Bifida are poor ability to walk, bowel control is a problem that usually happen in people between the ages of 65 and older, also using the restroom, accumulation of fluid in the brain or hydrocephalus, and latex allergy. The symptoms of latex allergy are: stuffy or runny nose, tightness in the chest, difficulty in breathing, being itchy, watery eyes, wheezing (if one has asthma), and anaphylaxis.
If someone’s ancestors had Spina Bifida then there would be a 4% chance that their kids and grandkids would have Spina Bifida.
Almost 15% of people have Spina Bifida. From 0.1 to 5 percent out of 1000 births would have Spina Bifida.
Life expectancy in early adulthood 75% chance that people with Spina Bifida would live for that long and 90% of people with Spina Bifida will live to be 30. Between the ages of 18 to 25 years old people with Spina Bifida will pass away.

I wrote about Spina Bifida for many reasons, like how interesting it was to me. I wrote about this because it’s a birth defect that could affect people in our daily lives; there was a little girl with Spina Bifida and she was told that she would never be able to walk due to the fact she has Spina Bifida, but it was posted on Instagram that she was walking while her classmates cheered her on. I heard about Spina Bifida in my biology class taught by Mrs Evans.