Press Release
July 16, 2007

National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week: July 17-23, 2007
PIA: DISABILITY PREVENTION BEGINS WITH MOMS' HEALTH

Serious birth defects of the brain among newly born babies can be prevented by their mothers through proper diet and a steady intake of folate rich food and folic acid supplements, especially in the early stages of pregnancy.

This was stressed by Senator Pia S. Cayetano to mark the start of National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week (NDPRW), which is being observed on July 17-23, 2007.

"Even in these modern times, some people continue to attribute birth defects to traditional beliefs and the supernatural. But recent scientific studies are now able to pinpoint the cause of some of these ailments and recommend preventive measures," said Cayetano.

She said several studies have demonstrated that women who took Vitamin B9 or folic acid before and during the first two months of pregnancy were able to reduce the risks of serious birth defects of the brain by 50-70 percent.

Furthermore, it has been found that folic acid has a protective effect against congenital heart ailments like atrial and ventricular septal defect, as well as limb deformities, urologic anomalies, omphalocoele (umbilical hernia) and cleft lip and cleft palate.

"Doctors recommend a variety of simple strategies to reduce the mortality and morbidity of defects of the brain among babies," she noted.

These include increasing the level of folate or folic acid of women of reproductive age through intake of folate-rich food such as peas, corn, dried beans, dark green leafy vegetables, white and whole wheat bread, beef, liver, lean beef and citrus fruits. She also stressed the importance of folic acid supplementation and pre-natal checkup for pregnant mothers

Cayetano said folic acid helps the development of the neural tube, the part of the fetus that becomes the spinal cord and brain.

The neural tube is open during the first four weeks of pregnancy and later closes to form the spinal cord and brain. Improper closure of the neural tube, however, can lead to permanent damage in the baby such as hydrocephalus and meningococle.

Neural tube defects have an incidence of 1-5/1,000 births. The Philippine Birth Defects Registry Project from 1999-2000 listed anencephaly and other similar malformation as the 6th most common birth defect with a rate of 2.2/10,000 births.

The most common neural tube defects are spina bifida (incomplete closure of the spinal column), anencephaly (severe underdevelopment of the brain), and encephalocoele (when brain tissue protrudes out to the skin from the abnormal opening in the skull).

Cayetano herself had a son, Gabriel, who was born with a rare chromosomal disorder and died at the age of nine months in 2001.

A foundation had since been set up in his memory, the Gabriel Symphony Foundation, which has funded hundreds of cleft lip and palate operations and distributed hearing aids, artificial eyes, wheelchairs and educational materials to differently abled children.

The senator has also actively supported the medical needs of hydrocephalic patients at the National Children's Medical Center, and the Pediatric Neurology and Neurosurgery Section of the Philippine General Hospital which operates on children with brain birth defects.

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