Therefore, any individuals who could become pregnant are advised to eat foods fortified with folic acid or take supplements in addition to eating folate-rich foods to reduce the risks of serious birth defects. In Canada, mandatory fortification of selected foods with folic acid had been shown to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects by 46% compared to incidence prior to mandatory fortification. However, relying on eating a folate-rich diet alone is not recommended for preventing neural tube defects when trying to conceive because a regular diet usually does not contain enough folate to reach pregnancy requirements. All individuals who have the ability to become pregnant are advised to get 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. This daily 400 mcg dose of folic acid can be found in most multivitamins advertised as for women. Higher doses can be found in pre-natal multivitamins but those doses may not be necessary for everyone. Individuals who have previously given birth to a child with a neural tube defect and are trying to conceive again may benefit from a supplement containing 4.0 mg daily, following advice provided by their doctor. In Canada, guidelines on folic acid intake when trying to conceive is based on a risk assessment of how likely they are to experience a neural tube defect during pregnancy. Risk is divided into high, moderate, and low risk categories. High risk would include those that had a past experience with neural tube defects, either themselves or during another pregnancy.
Theories regarding the causes of hydrancephaly include:
blockage in the carotid artery: some researchers think that a blockage of the carotid artery leads to the under-/no development of the brain. The carotid artery is the most important blood supplier of the brain. With a blockage, the brain barely receives blood. Blood is necessary for development and keeping intact of the brain. inherited condition. infections: during the pregnancy, a woman can develop an infection in the uterus what can lead to problems with the neural tube. environmental toxins: during the pregnancy, a woman can be exposed to environmental toxins what can have effect on the health of the infant. Iniencephaly
Iniencephaly is a rare neural tube defect that results in extreme bending of the head to the spine. The diagnosis can usually be made on antenatal ultrasound scanning, but if not will undoubtedly be made immediately after birth because the head is bent backwards and the face looks upwards. Usually the neck is absent. The skin of the face connects directly to the chest and the scalp connects to the upper back. Individuals with iniencephaly generally die within a few hours after birth. Spina bifida
Spina bifida is further divided into two subclasses, spina bifida cystica and spina bifida occulta. Spina bifida cystica includes meningocele and myelomeningocele. Meningocele is less severe and is characterized by herniation of the meninges, but not the spinal cord, through the opening in the spinal canal. Myelomeningocele involves herniation of the meninges as well as the spinal cord through the opening.