To date, every pregnant mom could only expect a healthy baby. The good part of this; however, is that there is a wide range of prevention techniques that can be performed to help prevent childhood birth defects. In order to do this, you must first understand what childhood birth defects are, what the types of birth defects are, and how they occur.
Childhood congenital defects are functional and structural abnormalities present at birth. This can cause mental or physical disability. In some cases, it can result from the combination of two. Some birth defects can even be fatal, causing the patient to die at a young age, perhaps during adolescence.
Studies have discovered over a thousand types of birth defects. Today, childhood birth defects remain the number one cause of mortality among infants and one-year-olds. Congenital anomalies have been attributed to a wide range of causes. First, when a gene doesn’t seem to be working properly or is missing, genetic problems can arise. Second, problems with the chromosomes, such as having more than is really needed or less than is really needed, can also cause abnormalities. All the environmental factors that every pregnant woman is exposed to can also play a vital role in the development of the fetus. These include drug and alcohol use, smoking, German foods, and many others.
Currently, two main types of childhood birth defects have been identified: structural abnormalities and functional defects. Structural genetic defects refer to abnormalities in the body and its parts. The most common include heart defects, clubfoot, abnormal limbs, cleft lip or palate. This can also be in the form of neural tube defects such as spina bifida and other problems related to the development of the spinal cord and brain.
On the other hand, functional birth defects are abnormalities in the functioning of the body. These are often referred to as developmental disabilities. Problems with the nervous system and the brain are among the common developmental abnormalities that can lead to slurred speech, trouble moving, seizures, mental retardation, behavioral disorders, and learning problems. Other birth defects that can affect the nervous system include Down syndrome, autism, Prader-Willi syndrome, and Fragile X syndrome. Another type of functional disability is sensory problems. This can include cataracts, hearing difficulties, and blindness along with other visual difficulties. Functional disability, on the other hand, is metabolic disorders. Such disability involves chemical reaction like conditions that can cause the body to malfunction by getting rid of harmful chemicals and waste materials. The most common metabolic disorders include hypothyroidism and phenylketonuria. The third type of functional abnormality is degenerative disorders. These are conditions that become very obvious during birth. Most of the time, they make health steadily worse.
In other cases, congenital anomalies present as a combination of any one of the factors. Abnormalities recognized at the time of work often lead to long-term structural and functional problems. Most of these anomalies have treatments that vary in intensity depending on the type of disorder. – Therefore, if your baby was born with a childhood congenital defect, it is very important that you consult a doctor as soon as possible to prevent the condition from worsening.
