5 Birth Defects, Symptoms And Treatments

Almost 3 of the babies in the U.S are born with a birth defect...

Thursday May 4, 2017

5 Birth Defects, Symptoms And Treatments

Almost 3% of the babies in the U.S are born with a birth defect; the number is much higher in the Asian continent. Most of these defects are formed in the first trimester of the pregnancy. The causes range from genetics, intoxicants or drug abuse, chemical exposure, reactions to certain medication or a combination of the above. The most common birth defect types and symptoms are:

Congenital Heart Defects

These heart defects are a result of genetic abnormalities resulting in faulty foetal development. The usual symptoms for such defects are rapid heartbeat, breathing difficulties, swelling of the limbs or pale grey/bluish skin. Most of these defects can be treated with medication, surgery, or mechanical aids like the pacemaker.

Cleft Lip or Palate

Mostly caused by disoriented genetics, this defect results in either the roof of the mouth, the tissues at the back of the mouth and/or the upper lip from closing. The symptoms include speech impairment and difficulty in breastfeeding, caused by the structure of the lip or the palate. The treatment includes a lip and/or palate surgery, along with a speech therapist for proper language development.

Missing or Underdeveloped Limbs

Thought to be caused by exposure of an expecting mother to certain virus or chemicals, a child with missing or under-developed limbs is fitted with a prosthetic limb as needed, with intensive physical therapy prescribed by an orthopaedic or a physiotherapist.

Sickle Cell Disease

This defect causes the red blood cells to distort into a banana or a sickle-like shape, instead of its normal round one. This usually results in anaemia, shortness of breath and vulnerability to bacterial infection. There are no treatments, but vaccines and daily penicillin treatments are ways to reduce infection risks, along with various therapies to reduce the pain caused in the limbs where the deformed cells cut off the supply of oxygen.

Down’s Syndrome

The characteristics of a child with down’s syndrome include slanted eyes, small ears, nose, mouth, and neck that is caused due to chromosomal abnormalities. Almost 50% of the cases have visual and hearing impairments along with some degree of mental retardation. Most can do all activities like any young child, but the learning curve is much flatter.

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