An estimated 166,000 people in the United States are currently living with Spina Bifida, the most common permanently disabling birth defect. Spina Bifida is a neural tube defect that happens in the first month of pregnancy when the spinal column doesn't close completely. Every day, an average of 8 births are affected by Spina Bifida or a similar birth defect of the brain and spine. Each year, abou
t 3,000 pregnancies are affected by these birth defects. The effects of Spina Bifida are different for every person. Up to 90 percent of children with the worst form of Spina Bifida have hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain) and must have surgery to insert a “shunt” that helps drain the fluid—the shunt stays in place for the lifetime of the person. Other conditions include full or partial paralysis, bladder and bowel control difficulties, learning disabilities, depression, latex allergy, and social and sexual issues. Thanks to new medical treatments and technology, most people born with Spina Bifida can expect to live a normal life. People with Spina Bifida have many special challenges because of their birth defect, but their condition does not define who they are. People with Spina Bifida have careers, get married, and have children just like people who do not have Spina Bifida.
-From Spina Bifida Association website, 2009, www.spinabifidaassociation.org
