Everyone Healthy Library
Spina Bifida
Also Known As: Dysraphism; Rachischisis
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
! Seek urgent medical care if warning signs appear
Some health conditions or symptoms can become urgent. Use this page for education, but seek help quickly if warning signs are present.
Get urgent medical care now if there is any severe, sudden, rapidly worsening or worrying symptom, especially:
- chest pain, pressure or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back
- trouble breathing, blue lips, severe wheeze or choking
- stroke-like symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or speech trouble
- collapse, fainting, seizure, confusion or extreme drowsiness
- severe bleeding, black stools, vomiting blood or major injury
- severe allergic reaction, swelling of the face/throat or widespread rash with breathing trouble
- severe abdominal pain, severe headache, stiff neck or sudden vision change
- signs of severe dehydration, sepsis, high fever with worsening illness, or symptoms in a baby/young child that concern you
Connected health information
Explore this condition in a clear order
Condition overview
Attributes
Commonalityis rare
Linked signs and symptoms
13Each sign/symptom opens its own page and links back to related conditions.
- Brain or Intracranial Pressure Increase
- Meningocele: Fluid-Filled Sac Visible at Back
- Mental Retardation
- Mind: Developmental Delay
- Mind: Mental Slowness
- Pain Leg
- Paralysis General
- Paralysis of Legs (Paraplegia)
- Pregnancy: Noninduced Foetal Death Before 20th Week
- Skin Tingling Or Numbness (Paresthesias)
- Spinal Cord: Incomplete Development
- Spine Curvature (Scoliosis)
- Urinary Incontinence
Linked drugs / medications
0No linked drugs are listed yet.
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
2Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
3These are pulled from both EH diagnostic-test link tables, including the older large test-link table.
Biological markers/agents
3This visual map shows biological markers/agents reported as increased or decreased with this condition. These are educational relationships only; test results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician because ranges vary by lab, method, age, sex and clinical context.
Often increased
3- Alpha-Fetoprotein (Amniotic Fluid, Following Amniocentesis at 12 to 16 Weeks)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 194–197 pmol/LLinked diagnostic testsAlpha-Fetoprotein (AFP, Amniotic Fluid Following Amniocentesis)
- Alpha-Fetoprotein (Maternal Serum, Pregnancy 15-18 Weeks)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 12–155 ng/mLLinked diagnostic testsAlpha-Fetoprotein (AFP, Serum AFP
- Fetal Nuchal Thickness on Ultrasound (Pregnancy Weeks 10 to 14)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 2.18–2.5Linked diagnostic testsFetal Nuchal Translucency (FNT on Ultrasound)
Often decreased
0No markers in this group.
Introduction / full article
Spina Bifida
Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:
Folic Acid [1, 2, 3, 4]:
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.
Recommendation: Strongly Recommended (Evidence clearly shows that women taking folic acid supplements during pregnancy can greatly reduce the risk of spina bifida occuring in their babies)
Grade of Evidence: high quality of evidence
* www.gradeworkinggroup.org
Summary References
Treatments:
1. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009
2. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002092.htm
3. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/folicacid.html
4. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/folic-acid