What are the main causes of cleft lip?

What are the main causes of cleft lip?

Causes of cleft lip and palate

• the genes a child inherits from their parents (although most cases are a one-off)
• smoking during pregnancy or drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
• obesity during pregnancy.
• a lack of folic acid during pregnancy.

Can cleft lip be prevented?

While many cases of cleft lip and cleft palate can’t be prevented, consider these steps to increase your understanding or lower your risk: Consider genetic counseling. If you have a family history of cleft lip and cleft palate, tell your doctor before you become pregnant.

Who is most likely to get cleft lip?

Cleft lip, with or without cleft palate, affects one in 700 babies annually, and is the fourth most common birth defect in the U.S. Clefts occur more often in children of Asian, Latino, or Native American descent. Compared with girls, twice as many boys have a cleft lip, both with and without a cleft palate.

Is cleft lip hereditary?

The causes of cleft lip and cleft palate (or both) are unknown, although hereditary (genetic) factors sometimes play a small role. A cleft lip or cleft palate (or both) is not caused by anything the parents did or did not do during the pregnancy.

Does alcohol cause cleft lip?

No significant association was found between alcohol use and isolated cleft palate or clefts in children with multiple birth defects. Alcohol use during pregnancy may be a cause of isolated cleft lip with or without cleft palate.

What country has the most cleft lips?

The United States cleft lip national rate averaged 7.75. Countries with the highest and lowest rates were Japan (19.05) and South Africa (3.13), respectively. Internationally, the rate of cleft lip declined, with an average overall prevalence of 7.94.

Can smoking cause cleft palate?

Maternal smoking is an established risk factor for oral clefts. A recent meta-analysis of 24 studies estimated that mothers who smoked during pregnancy had a 1.3 fold increased risk of having a baby with cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and a 1.2-fold risk of cleft palate alone.

What is partial fetal alcohol syndrome?

Partial fetal Alcohol Syndrome (pFAS) When a person does not meet the full diagnostic criteria for FAS but has a history of prenatal alcohol exposure and some of the facial abnormalities, as well as a growth problem or CNS abnormalities that person is considered to have partial FAS (pFAS).

Why is cleft lip so common in India?

Substandard nutrition and a lack of prenatal care are known to be the likely reasons for these congenital disorders. “Significant efforts must be made to relieve the prevalent unmet need and strengthen health care services to meet the demand of new cases so that the surgical backlog does not grow,” Stewart added.

How does cleft lip affect people?

Cleft lip and cleft palate can impact speech due to the central role of the lips, palate, and tongue in forming words. The anomaly can lead to a higher risk of ear infections, which can damage hearing. Tympanostomy tubes may help to prevent fluid build-up in the middle ear. A speech-language pathologist can help solve speech problems.

What does cleft lip and palate result from?

Cleft lip and palate result from the incomplete closure of the upper lip and roof of the mouth. This causes a gap or defect to occur in the affected area, involving skin, muscle and the lining of the mouth.

How do you get a cleft lip?

A cleft lip occurs when there is a split or opening in the lip. This opening can be small or large enough to connect the upper lip and nose. A cleft palate occurs when the roof of the mouth does not close properly during a baby’s early development inside the womb.

What is a cleft lip also called?

The cleft lip was long colloquially known as the harelip . In German, the cleft palate was also known as a “Wolfsrachen”, a wolf’s throat. This sort of animal imagery is perceived as degrading by many patients with cleft lip and palate.