Spina bifida: life expectancy (death rate)

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Le spina bifida is a major anomaly of the spine. It occurs from the beginning of embryonic life. The question that arises is: how do people who suffer from this malformation live? Do they have a life expectancy similar to that of a normal individual? The answer in this article.

What is spina bifida?

This is a malformation congenital which occurs at the spine.

She is related to un neural tube which did not close properly during the first 4 weeks of pregnancy. Normally, it closes around the 21st to 28th day after conception of the embryo. If not, the baby will suffer from spina bifida.

The true causes of this malformation are still unknown. They are associated with several risk factors such as B vitamin deficiency (folate), diabetes, obesity and many others.

It is recognized from a few weeks of pregnancy and also at birth by signs such as significant hairiness or hyperpigmentation of an area of ​​the back or hydrocephalus.

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Sometimes, it is detected later (in adulthood) and incidentally during a spine X-ray.

 Symptoms of spina bifida vary by type.

  • Le spina bifida occulta : almost asymptomatic.
  • La myelomeningocele: the form of spina bifida with a sac of fluid at the level of the baby's back.
  • La meningocele which differs to myelomeningocele by the sac of fluid which does not trap the spinal cord.

Generally, the symptoms of spina bifida are neurological, urological and orthopedic.

The severity of this pathology depends on several factors. For more details and explanations on spina bifida, click here.

What is the life expectancy of patients with spina bifida?

Life expectancy of a patient who suffers from spina bifida depends on several prognostic factors: the type of the disease, its size, its location, the age of the patient, etc.

In general, the symptoms of spina bifida sometimes develop negatively and threaten the patient's life. However, if handled properly, theThe person's life expectancy may be normal.

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Individuals who have had considerable spinal cord damage often have a poor prognosis.

Previously, children with spina bifida didn't survive very long.

Now, thanks to advances in medicine, risk of death et Death rate are more repayments. According to statistical studies, about 90% of babies with spina bifida survive while deaths before the age of 6 are few (less than 10% of cases).

In reality, this mortality rate mainly concerns children who have been operated on.

In adults, shunt or shunt (procedure to manage hydrocephalus) can cause serious infections and complications. It also increases the risk of kidney failure. These are the main causes of death in adults with spina bifida.

The discovery of spina bifida in the child in the mother's womb is most often the reason for a therapeutic termination of pregnancy. The baby will not necessarily have a short life expectancy when it is born. It is rather the fear of complications and heavy sequelae related to this malformation that motivate this decision.

In short, the spina bifida is not necessarily fatal. It is possible to live well with this malformation provided that appropriate and multidisciplinary treatments are followed (which evolve throughout the patient's life).

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Sources

https://www.france-assos-sante.org/2019/08/30/quest-ce-que-le-spina-bifida/

https://www.msdmanuals.com/fr/professional/p%C3%A9diatrie/anomalies-neurologiques-cong%C3%A9nitales/spina-bifida

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