Spina bifida occurs in a baby when the spinal cord and surrounding bones do not develop properly, leaving a gap or a split. Around one in 1,000 babies in the UK are born with it and some of those who survive suffer from hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and varying degrees of paralysis.
Action first supported research into spina bifida in the 1960s by funding Professor Richard Smithells and his work to build a register of babies born with this, and other conditions. Over the next 20 years he and his team established a link between spina bifida and the vitamins taken by women before and during pregnancy. They looked into whether supplements could help prevent spina bifida and clinical studies were conducted, leading to a major trial in 1991 funded by the MRC that proved that folic acid can prevent spina bifida in up to 70 per cent of cases.
Women trying to become pregnant are still routinely advised to take folic acid supplements to prevent spina bifida and the number of cases in the UK has been dramatically reduced.
