My bro-in-law was just diagnosed with spina bifida. He's only 32. I want to be a support for both him and my sister. What may happen to him in the future and is spina bifida with late on-set like this hereditary. Could this appear in my 10 yr old nephew? Any info would really be appreciated.

Spina bifida is a birth defect usually detected at birth. I wonder why it was diagnosed only now.

It is a birth defect caused by very little, if any, folic acid in the pregnant woman's diet.

Can you fill me in on why it was detected so late in life?

Are you sure it's spina bifida?

Spina Bifida - Spina Bifida Association

This link provides a lot of info, but I will be honest I could not find any info from 100's of pages that did not show them having it as child and getting worst as they get older

While rare, it can manifest itself later in life in the form of a Pilonidal Cyst

There are several forms of spina bifida, some are not as obvious as others and show up later in life, as stated above.

I am curious, though, what the circumstances that the OPs brother was diagnosed with this at this age.

He was always getting severe back pains and issues with his lungs and other symptoms. Back when Tim was little, I think his mom was a partygoer and I know his father was. He is a heavy duty mechanic by trade, could his occupation have anything to do with this? I wondered if his condition is hereditary? Does his half-brother need to be checked and what about his 10 year old son? I will try to gather more info J9. Thanks, all.

Spina bifida usually manifests in the lower back, more near the buttocks, most of the time, but not always. Now, you say he is a heavy duty mechanic, and that this involves his lungs, does he work with chemicals? I believe this would be a disorder other than spina bifida. Maybe scoliosis?