1. What part of the spina bifida is the lesion? Is it a deformity that occurs in the spine? A: Spina bifida is a relatively common developmental deformity of the spine that can occur in any part of the spine. The normal human spine is made up of 26 vertebrae connected by a closed canal in the center of the spine called the spinal canal, which contains the spinal membrane, nerves and spinal cord. If during embryonic development, the vertebral plates of the vertebrae do not close or close incompletely, resulting in a cleft in the spinal canal that is no longer a closed tubular structure, this is known as spina bifida. Spina bifida is most often seen in the lumbosacral region and occasionally in the thoracic segment, with the defect mostly in the back of the spine and rarely in the front.2. Is there a high incidence of spina bifida? Do patients present at birth? A: The prevalence of spina bifida is high. Generally speaking, there are two types of spina bifida: dominant spina bifida and recessive spina bifida. Manifest spina bifida is a deformity that is visible to the naked eye and is usually detected or symptomatic after birth, mainly including spinal cord membrane bulge, spinal cord spondylolisthesis and spinal cord exstrophy, latent hair sinus and other deformities. Invisible spina bifida is a condition in which the spine is normal in appearance, but there is incomplete closure of the vertebrae, spinal canal fissures, or a combination of spinal cord or spinal canal lesions, such as spinal cord embolism, spinal canal lipoma, etc. It can be symptomatic or absent after birth, and most are discovered incidentally after birth and can remain asymptomatic for life. The prevalence of dominant spina bifida is the prevalence of various diseases, while the prevalence of recessive spina bifida is influenced by many factors, and the statistics are not very uniform, with the prevalence of recessive spina bifida reported in the literature ranging from 15-40%. 3. A: Spina bifida is a common neural tube deformity. The development of the neural tube is regulated by many genes, such as the Wnt pathway gene, Notch pathway gene, Hox gene, etc. However, there is no conclusive evidence that these genetic abnormalities can be passed on to the next generation, and in actual clinical practice, no paternal deformity has been found to be passed on to the offspring. 4. Is the occurrence of this disease related to the mother’s exposure to radiation and chemicals during pregnancy? Can improper use of medication during pregnancy have an effect? A: Many drugs can cause neural tube deformity, the more confirmed drugs are retinoic acid and ethylene thiourea, the congenital malformation laboratory of China Medical University has successfully applied the above drugs to prepare animal models of neural tube deformity, confirmed that the two drugs can indeed cause spina bifida deformity, but other drugs such as antibiotics, antiviral drugs and other common daily drugs have similar teratogenic properties. However, whether other drugs such as antibiotics, antivirals, and other common drugs have similar teratogenic properties is unclear and has not been reported yet. However, drug abuse during pregnancy, especially in early pregnancy, is not recommended. 5. Does inadequate folic acid supplementation during pregnancy lead to an increased incidence of the disease? A: Yes, it has been reported in the literature that inadequate folic acid intake during pregnancy can increase the prevalence of neural tube abnormalities. On the contrary, women who take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily from before pregnancy to the third trimester can significantly reduce the incidence of neural tube abnormalities, including spina bifida, which is now recognized worldwide and folic acid has been recommended by the World Health Organization as a preventive medicine for pregnant women during pregnancy. 6. Will it lead to paralysis? Is it life-threatening? A: The effects of spina bifida on patients are related to the degree of spinal cord and spinal nerve involvement. Patients’ sensory (mainly perineal) and motor functions may be affected. For overt spina bifida, most patients have sacral nerve dysplasia, and symptoms such as loss of perineal sensation, lower extremity mobility impairment or even paralysis, incontinence or difficulty in defecation and urination may occur if there is spinal cord and spinal nerve involvement or spinal cord traction. In recessive spina bifida, the spinal cord may remain asymptomatic for life if it is not combined with spinal cord embolism, while neurological symptoms similar to those of overt spina bifida may occur if spinal cord embolism is present. Spina bifida alone is usually not life-threatening, but various secondary pathologies such as renal impairment due to neurogenic bladder, renal insufficiency leading to uremia, and intra-vertebral infection can be life-threatening.7. Does spina bifida affect the height of the child? A: Neither dominant nor recessive spina bifida affects height.