CAUSES OF HIGH AMMONIA. Ammonia is a normal by-product of processing nitrogen in the body, and is excreted as waste in the urine, in healthy people. However, elevated blood ammonia levels can occur when the kidneys or liver are not working properly, allowing this waste to remain in the bloodstream, which can be poisonous to your cells.
Spina bifida research scientists are looking at a possible genetic cause of spina bifida. The goal of this research is to find the genetic factors that make some children more susceptible to neural tube defects than others.
Changes in dozens of genes in individuals with spina bifida and in their mothers may influence the risk of developing this type of neural tube defect. The best-studied of these genes is MTHFR, which provides instructions for making a protein that is involved in processing the vitamin folate (also called vitamin B9).