The disorder is accompanied by severe spinal defects and often brain and face malformations, such as anencephaly and cyclopia. |
The birth prevalence of both anencephaly and spina bifida has decreased over the past decade. |
Another kind of neural tube defect is anencephaly where the brain is almost completely absent. |
Insufficient maternal intake of folic acid is thought to increase the likelihood of anencephaly as well as other neural tube defects. |
The most common neural tube defects diagnosed at birth are spina bifida and anencephaly. |
Failure of closure typically at the cranial end of the neural tube results in anencephaly, or at the caudal neuropore end, in spina bifida. |