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 Each year in the United States, 2,500 to 3,000 infants are born with
spina bifida or anencephaly, which are neural tube defects (NTDs) caused
by the incomplete closing of the spine and skull. An estimated 1,500
pregnancies are stillborn or terminated because of these defects.
All infants with anencephaly die before or shortly after birth,
whereas most babies born with spina bifida grow to adulthood with
varying degrees of paralysis and disability. The annual medical care and
surgical costs for persons with spina bifida in the United States exceed
$200 million.
Date: July 27, 2005
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities
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