The ASBIHP - Association Spina Bífida and Hidrocefalia of Portugal is a Particular Institution of Social Solidarity without lucrative ends, established in 1977 to give to support to the people with Spina Bífida and/or Hidrocefalia and its families.

We take the handle some activities that aim at the improvement of the quality of life of the people with Bifid Spina, an increase of its auto-esteem, one better social integration and consequent combat to the isolation.

The Bifid Spina is a congenital malformation of the vertebrae that occurs between 14º and 25º day of pregnancy and that it can, in its more serious form (mielomeningocelo), to result in an opening that provokes the exit of part of the spinal marrow, displaying some nervous terminals to the exterior.

Sequels is characterized for loses of mobility and sensitivity in the zones with nerves for the affected terminals. As in the great majority of the times, the affected region is the inferior zone of the column, a person with this malformation suffers, generally, of partial or total paralysis of the muscles of the inferior members and for times of incontinence, as well as loses of sensitivity.

In the people with Bifid Spina one another clinical situation, the hidrocefalia will be able to still occur. This is characterized for the extreme accumulation of cephalic-rachidian liquid in the brain, what it results in the increase of the cephalic perimeter (an abnormal growth of the head) and in the compression of the fabric cerebral what provokes some problems of vision generally, alterations percipient and spacious-secular, as well as learning difficulties.