Spina bifida is the second cause of physical disability in childhood after cerebral palsy. To prevent it, the woman is recommended take folic acid before and during pregnancy because it prevents 70% of cases of spina bifida.
Folic acid is an essential vitamin, essential to prevent neural tube defects, from which the nervous system originates. An abnormality in the formation of the neural tube, which occurs in the first 25 days of pregnancy, such as not closing completely, can cause defects in the brain and spinal cord.
The recommended folic acid dose is 0.4 mg / day during the three months before and after pregnancy, a dose that should be multiplied by ten if there has been a history. When the malformation occurs in the first weeks of pregnancy, it is convenient that the body has the necessary folic acid reserves to avoid abnormalities, since the neural tube is formed before many women find out that they are pregnant.
Spina bifida is an anomaly that occurs during the first month of pregnancy because one or several posterior vertebral arches have not fused leaving the spinal cord without bone protection.
It is usually accompanied by hydrocephalus and affects especially at the neurological level, causing loss of strength and sensitivity in the lower limbs, as well as alterations in the control of sphincters.
Its main cause is folic acid deficiency, although in five percent of cases, the cause is unknown.
Folic acid is not only essential to avoid neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly. It also prevents cleft lip and has been shown to be effective in preventing delays in baby's language.
Therefore, the general recommendation is to take 0.4 mg daily of folic acid from three months before and at least during the first three months of gestation.
