Neural Tube Defects
Preventing NTDs
Legal Claims

Neural Tube Defects

Neural Tube Defects, or NTDs, are congenital conditions involving incomplete development of the brain, the spinal cord or tissue surrounding these organs. Spina Bifida is caused by incomplete development of the tissue surrounding the spine. Anencephaly occurs when the brain does not fully develop. Most children born with Spina Bifida survive into adulthood, and many of them lead happy, fulfilling lives. Unfortunately, children born with Anencephaly do not survive.

Spina Bifida can be a crippling condition. Many persons with Spina Bifida have poor use of their legs, have no bowel or bladder control and some suffer from mental retardation as well. Spina Bifida is considered the most costly birth defect in the United States in terms of healthcare expenses, with average lifetime medical needs in the range of $300,000. Of course, the value of the physical and emotional pain and suffering experienced by persons who have Spina Bifida is much more substantial. This devastating condition also places a tremendous burden upon the parents, siblings and other family members of Spina Bifida patients.

Preventing NTDs

The United States medical community learned in the 1980s that the incidence of Spina Bifida can be significantly reduced by the use of folic acid shortly before and after the beginning of a pregnancy. Small doses of folic acid are contained in certain fruits and vegetables, but in order to get enough folic acid to protect against Spina Bifida, artificial supplementation is needed in the form of prenatal vitamins or multivitamins.

It is important to note that in order to obtain the protective benefits of folic acid against NTDs, prenatal vitamins or multivitamins need to be taken before and just after conception. By the time a woman ordinarily realizes she is pregnant, the brain and spinal cord have already developed to the point where it is too late for folic acid to be beneficial in terms of reducing the incidence of NTDs.

Recognizing that about half of the pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned, various governmental and medical organizations have for years been urging all women of child bearing age to supplement their folic acid intake with vitamins, even if they are not trying to get pregnant. Certainly, any woman who was planning to become pregnant while under a physician’s care should have been prescribed prenatal vitamins or multivitamins before attempting to get pregnant.

Despite everything the medical community has learned, studies show most women are still not getting enough folic acid when they become pregnant. About half the women in the United States do not even know that folic acid can help prevent birth defects. If all women of child bearing age in the United States were getting sufficient folic acid in their diets, hundreds of cases of Spina Bifida and Anencephaly could be prevented each year. These fatal and/or crippling birth defects currently affect about one in a thousand pregnancies.

Legal Claims

The lawyers at Feldman Shepherd are pursuing claims for Spina Bifida children against obstetricians who waited until after their patients became pregnant to begin recommending prenatal vitamins. The lawsuits filed on behalf of Spina Bifida families seek damages for medical bills, loss of earning potential, pain and suffering and loss of the pleasures of life. For more information call us at 1-877-724-3432 .