Neural tube defects

Neural tube defect is a very serious malformation disease, also known as neural tube defect disease. The neural tube is the central nervous system of the fetus. If the pregnant woman lacks folic acid in the body during the first four months of pregnancy, it can easily lead to neural tube defect disease in children. However, neural tube defect can have varying degrees of symptoms, such as anencephaly, occult spina bifida, or the common cleft lip, etc., all belong to neural tube defect.

In order to prevent the occurrence of neural tube defects, many pregnant women will supplement folic acid before pregnancy. Having enough folic acid in the body of pregnant women can effectively prevent neural tube defects in children. Pregnant women will also eat foods containing folic acid in their diet, such as animal liver, fruits, green leafy vegetables, fungi, tomatoes, cauliflower, watermelon, carrots, etc. Here I will introduce you to the relevant content of neural tube defects.

Cause

The expression or mutation of many types of genes is related to nervous system development and neural tube defects. They are:

(1) Developmental regulatory genes and transcription factor genes.

(2) Oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes.

(3) Growth factors and their receptor genes.

(4) Protein kinase C-related genes.

(5) Genes related to homocysteine ​​metabolism.

(6) Other genes: cytoskeleton, cell connection genes, etc.

Clinical manifestations

The neural tube is the part of the embryo that develops into the brain, spinal cord, back of the skull, and spine. If the central neural tube does not develop normally, defects in the above areas may occur when the baby is born.

Anencephaly and spina bifida are both malformations that occur during fetal development. The so-called "neural tube defects" refer to developmental malformations of the central nervous system, mainly including anencephaly and spina bifida.

Anencephaly refers to the absence of a complete head. In anencephalic babies, the head is not fully developed, and the skin, skull, and even the brain are not fully developed. This type of fetus usually dies in the womb before birth, resulting in a "dead fetus" or "stillbirth". Even if it is born, it will die within a short period of time, and almost no one survives.

Spina bifida refers to the failure of the spine to develop properly, causing the spinal cord, which should be protected by the spine, to protrude or be exposed to the surface of the body. Spina bifida can be completely open and can be identified with the naked eye as soon as the baby is born; it can also be latent and develop different symptoms as the child grows older, at which time it needs to be diagnosed through X-ray means. The most common defect is spina bifida, which can affect one or more vertebrae. Symptoms include weakness or paralysis of the legs, leg deformities, incontinence, loss of sensation of pain below the level of the lesion, sometimes hydrocephalus, and in some cases, learning disabilities.

diagnosis

There are some symptoms of neural tube defects in fetuses before birth that can help make early diagnosis:

1. The fetus cannot swallow the amniotic fluid, resulting in excessive amniotic fluid during pregnancy.

2. Fetal X-ray examination during pregnancy can reveal the absence of a skull.

3. A-fetoprotein levels in maternal serum and amniotic fluid increase during pregnancy.

4. The concentration of estriol in plasma and urine of pregnant women decreases significantly during pregnancy. This is due to the incomplete development of the fetal adrenal cortex and the decrease of corticosteroids.

5. Ultrasound examination of the fetus during pregnancy can accurately detect anencephaly and spina bifida.

Everyone knows about neural tube defects, so pregnant women must eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean meat. If the fetus is diagnosed with neural tube defects during pregnancy, it is safer to terminate the pregnancy immediately. In addition, pregnant women should supplement folic acid in moderation to prevent excessive side effects on the body.