As well the Spina Bifida Nurse Practitioner will also contact the primary care physician and the family will be instructed to arrange a well child care (WCC) appointment for five days after discharge." (Peterson, 2005) The Spina Bifida Nurse Practitioner makes sure that "newborn screen and Hepatitis B vaccine are completed and noted in discharge note
An old multicenter case referent study, from 1998, identified newer possible paternal occupational etiologies, such as low exposure to welding fumes, UV radiation, and moderate to high exposure to cleaning agents, pesticides and stainless steel dust. (Blatter et al
The shape of spine may also be abnormal. (Browse, 1-123) The most common site of spinal herniation is at the lumbosacral vertebras
(Oats & Abraham, 37-53) MEDICAL TREATMENT From articles addressing the etiology of spina bifida, as well as specific medical issues, brain-behavior relationships, healthcare delivery, contextual influences of family, school, society and healthcare, the undercurrent theme is that the treatment of spina bifida requires a multidisciplinary approach, comprising of physical therapists, spinal surgeons and physicians, along with psychosocial and educational interventions. (Fletcher & Brie, 1-5) The general trend towards the medical management of this disease is only to prevent complications
Ever since, there has been a 19% decline in the incidence of NTDs. (Honein et al
However, the most recent theory states that folic acid deficiency leads to depletion in the methyl pool, leaving critical genes un-methylated, and in turn improper expression, leading to various forms of NTDs, including spina bifida. (Kumar, Abbas & Fausto, 724-725) To check whether consanguinity was a risk factor, researches from Saudi Arabia compared new cases of spina bifida to a control sample of 72 cases
Between 1920 and 1949, there was a succession of high rates, tripling that of the previous years. (MacMahon & Yen, 31-33) Recent figures from 2004-2006 reveal an incidence of 1 per 2858
Surgical treatment includes creating a urinary diversion through an ileal conduit, vesicostomy or a continent stoma. (Mann, Russell, Bailey, Love & Williams, 1093-1201) Dietary modifications, habit training and digital stimulation can greatly control bowel incontinence
Consanguinity was found to exist amongst 89% of spina bifida parents which was much greater than the 67% of controls. (Murshid, 10-12) Other important risk factors are decreased maternal age, previous history of miscarriages, first born infants and mothers belonging to lower socio-economic statuses
Post-natally a CT scan or MRI of the spine is required to document the defect and identify the type of spina bifida. (Oats & Abraham, 37-53) MEDICAL TREATMENT From articles addressing the etiology of spina bifida, as well as specific medical issues, brain-behavior relationships, healthcare delivery, contextual influences of family, school, society and healthcare, the undercurrent theme is that the treatment of spina bifida requires a multidisciplinary approach, comprising of physical therapists, spinal surgeons and physicians, along with psychosocial and educational interventions
The bright side of the situation is that the occurrence for spina bifida, in the United States, has been decreasing. (Parker) An analysis through time reveals an incidence of 2 per 1000 during the period, 1890-1920