Table of Contents
What are the two types of factors leading into birth defects?
What causes birth defects?
- Genetic problems. One or more genes might have a change or mutation that results in them not working properly, such as in Fragile X syndrome.
- Chromosomal problems.
- Infections.
- Exposure to medications, chemicals, or other agents during pregnancy.
What are the most common causes of birth defects?
What causes birth defects?
- Genetics. One or more genes might have a change or mutation that prevents them from working properly.
- Chromosomal problems.
- Exposures to medicines, chemicals, or other toxic substances.
- Infections during pregnancy.
- Lack of certain nutrients.
Where do most birth defects occur?
Birth defects can occur during any stage of pregnancy. Most birth defects occur in the first 3 months of pregnancy, when the organs of the baby are forming. This is a very important stage of development. However, some birth defects occur later in pregnancy.
What birth defects are caused by environmental factors?
A Sampling of Environmental Agents Studied in Relation to Birth Defects
| Agent1,2 | Birth Defect(s) |
|---|---|
| Organic solvents | Neural tube, cardiac, limb defects; oral clefts; gastroschisis; developmental disorders |
| Organochlorine pesticides | Cryptorchidism, hypospadias |
| Ozone | Cardiac defects, cleft lip with or without cleft palate |
How are birth defects detected?
How are birth defects diagnosed? Some birth defects can be diagnosed before birth through ultrasound, amniocentesis, or chronic villus sampling (CVS). Most women have blood tests to screen for their risk of having a baby with a specific birth defect, such as Down syndrome and spina bifida.
How do birth defects occur?
A birth defect is something visibly abnormal, internally abnormal, or chemically abnormal about your newborn baby’s body. The defect might be caused by genetics, infection, radiation, or drug exposure, or there might be no known reason.
What causes birth defects pregnancy?
What causes birth defects? Some birth defects are caused by genes that can be passed from parents to children. Others result from a problem with chromosomes. A small number of birth defects are caused by exposure during pregnancy to certain medications, infections, and chemicals.
What is the most common neural tube defect in the United States?
The two most common NTDs are spina bifida (a spinal cord defect) and anencephaly (a brain defect).
What are the different types of birth defects?
What are the types of birth defects?
- Cleft lip or cleft palate.
- Heart defects, such as missing or misshaped valves.
- Abnormal limbs, such as a clubfoot.
- Neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, and problems related to the growth and development of the brain and spinal cord.
How do birth defects happen?
What birth defects are caused by air pollution?
The study in Xi’an, China, used a generalized additive model to investigate the relationship between birth defects and ambient air pollutants, showed nitrogen dioxide (NO2) increased risk of neural tube defects, congenital heart disease, congenital polydactyly, cleft palate, digestive system abnormalities and …