Latest spina bifida Stories

ATLANTA, July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- HowStuffWorks.com has teamed up with Aaron 'Wheelz' Fotheringham, the first person to perform a back flip in a wheelchair and inventor of hardcore sitting, for the return of the highly acclaimed 'Keep Asking' campaign. This year's campaign is designed to demonstrate the power of determination and curiosity, while encouraging people to get smarter. Fotheringham, who was born with Spina Bifida, mastered the back flip on July 13, 2006 in his hometown of Las...

New research, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that a woman's risk of having a child with a neural tube defect (NTD), such as Spina Bifida, is not linked to folic acid related auto-antibodies. The findings refute a well publicized study in 2004, which had indicated a link between the presence of these auto-antibodies in the circulation of mothers who had children with Spina Bifida compared to those who did not.Within an embryo, folate is essential for many...

Folic acid is getting renewed focus as a baby protecting vitamin. Also known as Vitamin B9,  it is essential to many bodily functions, not only guarding against spina bifida and other related birth defects, but now also linked to the prevention of premature births and heart defects.According to the AP, doctors specializing in pregnancy are now questioning whether or not it is time for the government to increase the levels of folic acid added to some foods to help ensure expectant...

Pregnant women are advised to take folic acid to prevent birth defects, but U.S. researchers also say the supplement may help prevent premature birth. The study, published in the journal PLoS Medicine, found women who took folic acid supplements for at least one year before they become pregnant may cut their risk of having a premature baby by half. Lead author Dr. Radek Bukowski of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston said the study is an observational analysis based on the...

Women who take folic acid supplements for at least one year before they become pregnant may cut their risk of having a premature baby by half, according to research published this week in the online journal, PLoS Medicine.The study links pre-conceptional folate supplementation of at least one year to reduced early premature delivery rates of 50 to 70 percent, regardless of age, race or other factors. Of particular note is the drop in very early premature births, those babies who are at the...

Findings Reinforce March of Dimes Message: Start Taking a Vitamin with Folic Acid Before Pregnancy WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., May 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Women who take folic acid supplements for at least one year before they become pregnant may cut their risk of having a premature baby by half, according to research published this week in the online journal, PLOS Medicine. The study links pre-conceptional folate supplementation of at least one year to reduced early premature delivery...

Canadian researchers found immigrant women less likely than others to be taking folic acid before pregnancy to help prevent spina bifida and anencephaly. Neural tube defects -- birth defects of the spinal cord and brain, known as spina bifida and anencephaly -- can be reduced by nearly 50 percent with folic acid supplements taken just before and soon after conception. The study found 60 percent of Canadian-born women in the study reported using folic acid supplements in the three-month...

Immigrant women are less likely to use folic acid supplements before pregnancy to prevent spina bifida, particularly those who recently immigrated to the country, according to a new study led by a St. Michael's Hospital physician in collaboration with Statistics Canada, Health Canada and the University of Toronto. The study is the first to provide national estimates of pre-pregnancy folic acid use in Canada. "Our study's findings report that while about six in 10 Canadian-born...

U.S. birth defect rates are highest for women conceiving in the spring and summer, researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine have found. Dr. Paul Winchester, the lead author, said the researchers also found that this period of increased risk correlated with higher levels of pesticides found in surface water across the United States. Studying all 30.1 million births in the United States between 1996 and 2002, the researchers found a strong association between the increased...

WASHINGTON, March 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Peggy Hathaway, United Spinal Association's vice president for Public Policy, detailed before a joint House Ways and Means Subcommittee this week, the alarming plight of more than 1.3 million Americans with disabilities waiting for the Social Security Administration (SSA) to decide if they meet the eligibility criteria while lives unravel, families are torn apart, homes are lost, medical conditions get worse, and many individuals die. In her...