Rare disease spina bifida 90% preventable: Experts

Visakhapatnam: Four in every 1,000 children born in India suffer from spina bifida, a rare condition that does not allow proper development of an infant's spinal cord in the womb causing permanent disability, said experts at a seminar here on Wednesday.

In the seminar organised by the department of Neurosurgery-KGH, Andhra Medical College (AMC), in association Andhra University, Rotary Club-Visakhapatnam and Lions International here on Wednesday at AU convention hall, the experts shared insights into spina bifida (SB) and how up to 90 per cent of the defect can be prevented.

Delivering a keynote address, Jogi V Pattisapu, paediatric neurosurgeon, UCF College of Medicine, Orlando, Florida, USA, said children born with SB suffer from poor quality of life, social stigma, and life long impairment and diminished productivity. But advances in neurosurgery, genitourinary surgery, gastroenterology and physical medicine and rehabilitation have led to marked increases in survival.

Participating as chief guest, Jeffery Blount, MD and chairman, department of Paediatric Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital, Birmingham, USA, said SB is a serious birth defect that affects the human nervous system for life.

Principal of Andhra Medical College G Butchi Raju said that birth defects such as SB were 100 per cent preventable. Hence raising awareness and educating people on this topic holds the key.

However, experts said up to 90 per cent of spina bifida can be prevented if women of childbearing age receive 400 micrograms of folic acid in their daily diet. Over 30 years of medical evidence has proven that folic acid fortification of food is effective in markedly reducing SB and is quite safe and cost effective.

Unfortunately, India has not yet instituted a mandatory fortification programme, and has a rate of 75 births per 10,000 which is almost 10 times the rate of other nations.

A panel discussion was held on the occasion. Medical experts called for prevention of SB and that it should be an urgent public health priority for India and that the central and state governments need to take this up on a war footing.