At the end of the first month of pregnancy, the baby's mouth is formed from two separate halves that grow next to each other. Somewhere between the sixth and eighth weeks, they fuse together to form the upper jaw. Next, the seam runs back and forth to seal the lips with the tongue. By the tenth week of pregnancy, the mouth is fully formed and the nose has acquired a familiar structure and position.
The cleft lip is a birth defect in which the baby's upper lip is completely formed and has a hole. The cleft palate is a similar congenital anomaly in which the palate of the unborn child is not fully formed, but has a hole. Some children with cleft lip have only a small notch in the upper lip. Others have a full open opening that runs through the upper jaw to the bottom of the nose. The anomaly may appear on one or both sides of the child's mouth. This birth defect is called an oral cleft, or cleft lip. In children, the causes of its occurrence are still unknown.
Defects and conditions for their development vary in severity and degree with variations:
- Cleft lip (lip defect).
- Cleft palate (palate defect).
- Cleft lip and palate (both defects).
- Microform of a cleft (crack or scar).
- Unilateral cleft (one side of lip and palate).
- Bilateral cleft (both sides of lip and palate).
Cleft lip and cleft palate: causes of occurrence
The causes of cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial anomalies are not well understood, but they are directly related to changes in the child's genes. It is believed that 25% of cases are due to heredity, up to 15% are chromosomal abnormalities and 60% are external causes of the birth of children with a cleft lip. The tendency to deformity may be inherited from one or both parents. The potential for developing the disease increases when it happens to close members of the same family.
Other factors that can affect genes leading to splitting are viruses, certain medications, diet, and environmental toxins. Recent studies have identified smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy as risk factors for the development of cleft lip and palate, as well as other birth defects. In addition, the presence of diabetes significantly increases the risk of having a child with a cleft lip or without a palate. Drug use and intoxication of the body can also cause these birth defects. Cleft lip and palate can occur along with other congenital anomalies. This can lead to a number of difficulties in daily life. It is not uncommon for babies to be born with a cleft lip or palate if their relatives have had the condition or havehistory of other birth defects.
Genetics and heredity
To this day, the true causes of cleft palate and lip development are unknown, but doctors believe that defects are due to genetic and environmental factors. Genetics may play a role in the development of a disease such as cleft lip. Causes of occurrence can combine several factors. If one or both parents had this deviation, this significantly increases the manifestation of the anomaly in the child. Your lifestyle during pregnancy can also make your baby more likely to develop an abnormality.
So why does a disease like cleft lip develop? Photos, causes and treatment methods will help you learn more about this pathology.
- Exposure to phenytoin or drug use during pregnancy increases the risk of developing an anomaly by 10 times or more.
- Smoking during pregnancy doubles the chance of developing a defect.
- Use of alcohol, anticonvulsants or retinoic acid causes birth defects that include cleft lip and palate
- During pregnancy, deficiency of vitamins, especially folic acid, can also cause the development of a craniofacial anomaly.
There are many factors that cause children's cleft lip to worry. The reasons, photos of this disease make it clear the seriousness of the situation. The cleft palate may develop as an isolated birth defect oras part of a larger genetic syndrome that can lead to more severe malformations.
Environment
During pregnancy, what a mother eats and drinks is critical to the development of her unborn baby. Vitamins and nutrients enter the growing body through the mother's blood. But between a woman and her unborn baby there is a strong protective shell called the placenta. It does not allow some toxic substances to pass through and reliably protects the child in the womb. While the placenta is really good at filtering out toxins, other dangerous chemicals can pass through this barrier and enter the fetal blood stream.
Cleft lip disease has a genetic cause, so during pregnancy you need to carefully monitor your he alth.
Toxic Substances
Harmful substances such as pesticides and mercury can get through the blood to the child, thereby causing serious developmental disorders. In 2004, a special environmental working group examined the cord blood of ten newborns. The researchers found, on average, about 200 types of industrial chemicals and pollutants. 180 of these compounds are known carcinogens. There is a theory that the human body system was formed long before the development of most harmful chemicals. Our body is simply not able to recognize and neutralize such elements.
In any event, the he alth community is convinced that some of thesechemicals contribute to the development of birth defects. Foreign scientists have found that certain sections of genes in chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 8, 13 and 15 are associated with the formation of a cleft palate and lip. This study has taken an important step to better understand the causes of disease, genetic and environmental.
What to do to prevent an anomaly?
Some researchers suggest that taking folic acid during pregnancy may reduce the chances of the baby developing these abnormalities. This substance is found in most multivitamins. Folic acid is known to actually reduce the risk of another unrelated birth defect.
What chemicals can affect the development of the defect?
Finding out which substances lead to the diagnosis is a rather difficult task. The occurrence of such a defect as a cleft lip has various causes, but mainly it is a combination of genetic factors and environmental toxins. Genes may start to develop incorrectly, but they need a little push from the outside world.
Drugs that experts say may cause clefts:
- Vasoactive drugs that increase or decrease blood pressure (Pseudoephedrine and Aspirin).
- Anti-epileptic drugs like Carbamazepine and Phenytoin. Some researchers believe that the cause of everything, in fact, is the epilepsy itself, and not the drugs used to treat it
- "Isotretinoin",or "Accutane" - a medical drug taken to treat severe manifestations of acne (acne). Do not take Accutane while pregnant. You should not plan pregnancy during the entire course of using the drug and within a month after.
- Corticosteroids such as Hydrocortisone and Cortisone. The use of these drugs during pregnancy can lead to a diagnosis of cleft lip. Causes can also serve as risk factors for pregnancy.
There are several complications that can affect babies and children with cleft lip or palate.
Feeding problems
Due to the anatomical defect, the process of breastfeeding can be quite difficult for newborns. Abnormal separation of the upper lip makes feeding uncomfortable. With such an anomaly, it is impossible to obtain a good compaction, which is necessary for the successful flow of the process. Conventional bottle-feeding nipples present the same problem. However, there are specialized utensils that promote efficient nutrition.
Children with a cleft palate are usually fitted with a removable artificial palate from early in life. This device limits the ability of liquids to enter the nostrils and also facilitates the ability to suck from specialized nipples.
Ear infections or partial hearing loss
Children with cleft palate are most likely to have ear infections and associated fluid buildup in the inside of the eardrum. ToTo limit these problems, most children with cleft palate have AEDs (tubes) passed through the eardrum during the first months of life.
Speech problems
As you might expect, developmental anomalies associated with the palate and lip can affect articulation. The most common problem is usually voice quality. Corrective surgeries can help reduce these speech problems, but most children with cleft lip or palate benefit from speech therapy with the help of a speech therapist.
Dental problems
Children with cleft lip or palate often have problems with missing or distorted teeth and usually require orthodontic treatment. If the upper jaw has a dysfunction, such as improper placement and positioning of permanent teeth, then the situation requires maxillofacial surgery.
Cleft lip and palate treatment
Doctors can now diagnose an anomaly based on ultrasound readings as early as 18 weeks pregnant. Diagnosing a cleft palate is more difficult because it is hidden inside the mouth. Once diagnosed, doctors may perform a procedure in which amniotic fluid is removed to be tested for the presence of a genetic syndrome. It usually takes a large team of specialists to identify a cleft at an early stage and formulate the right therapy.
Surgery
Surgical repair of a cleft usually occurs after7 weeks of a newborn's life. This type of surgery is referred to as plastic surgery. If the child's nose is affected by changes due to this defect, then rhinoplasty may be necessary. Babies born with cleft lip usually need ongoing therapy with many specialized procedures to achieve full recovery.
