Sign In | Sign Up | Help | Invite    
Advanced Search Ask A Question Community Recent Changes
My:             Contributions   
Contributors
{for ul in pageInfo.page}
${ul.nickName}
{var al = toBreakWord(ul.adUrl,18)} {if ul.adSentence !=''}${ul.adSentence}
{/if} {if ul.adUrl !=''}${al}
{/if}
 
{/for}
Earn Free Advertising   +   Earn Money By Writing What You Know at WISTEME.COM
Question Discussion History

Edit
    Question ID:   3475         Current Version: 1
Question: What are the most common birth defects?
Category: Health & Beauty > Children
Keywords: health, problem, hypospadias, cleft lip, pregnancy, baby, type, common, birth defect
Type: what
Rating:(0 ratings)    Views: 329    Discussions: 0   In Watch Lists: 1  

 
    Answer:

One of every 33 babies is born with a birth defect.  A birth defect can affect almost any part of the body.  The well being of the child depends mostly on which organ or body part is involved and how much it is affected.

Many birth defects affect the heart.  About 1 in every 100 to 200 babies is born with a heart defect.  Heart defects make up about one-third to one-fourth of all birth defects.  Some of these heart defects can be serious, and a few are very severe.  In some places of the world, heart defects cause half  of all deaths from birth defects in children less than 1 year of age.

Other common birth defects are “neural tube defects,” which are defects of the spine (spina bifida) and brain (anencephaly).  They affect about 1 of 1,000 pregnancies.  These defects can be serious and are often life threatening.  They happen less often than heart defects, but they cause many fetal and infant deaths.  

Birth defects of the lip and roof of the mouth are also common. These birth defects, known as “orofacial clefts,” include cleft lip, cleft palate, and combined cleft lip and cleft palate.  Cleft lip is more common than cleft palate.  In many places of the world, orofacial clefts affect about 1 in 700 to 1,000 babies.

Some birth defects are common but rarely life threatening, though they often require medical and surgical attention.  “Hypospadias,” for example, is a fairly common defect found in male babies.  In babies with hypospadias, the opening of the urethra (where urine comes out) is not at the tip of the penis but on the underside.  Treatment depends on how far away from the tip the opening is and can involve complex surgery.  This defect is rarely as serious as the others listed above, but it can cause great concern and sometimes has high medical costs.  It rarely causes death.

These are only some of the most common birth defects.  Two final points are worth noting.  First, genetic conditions, though not mentioned so far, also occur often.  Down syndrome, for example, is a genetic condition that affects about 1 in 800 babies, but it affects many more babies who are born to older women.  Second, a woman who is pregnant may miscarry a baby (fetus) early, before it is time for the baby to be born.  This often happens when the fetus has a severe birth defect.  To know the true impact of birth defects and how often they occur, we not only need to look at babies born but also, if possible, look at all pregnancies.

Original Source: CDC

Read more questions from WISTEME through
     Add to MSN Add to My AOL
 Rate this Question
   Add to Groups   Add to Watch Lists   Share Question
                          
 
    More Readings :
[QID:3473]    What is a birth defect?  
[QID:1924]    Do you know some facts about weight gain during pregnancy?  
[QID:962]    What effects will drinking have on your baby when you are pregnant?  
[QID:974]    Why should women of child-bearing age to consume an adequate amount of folic acid?  
[QID:2506]    What is the most common problem with getting a tattoo?  
[QID:2725]    What should I do if I have a problem using ring for birth control?  
[QID:1740]    What is premature birth?  
[QID:1971]    What should you do as a newborn father?  
[QID:1969]    What does a healthy newborn baby look like? What reflexes can a baby have?  
[QID:1744]    What are the risk factors for premature birth?  
     Question ID:  ${question.id}         Current Version:  ${question.version}

{for qh in questionHistory} {if qh.status == 'r'} {else} {/if} {/for}
Version Contributor Date (ET) Voting
${qh.version} ${qh.nickName} ${qh.date} Rejected
${qh.version} ${qh.nickName} ${qh.date} {if qh.status != 'c'} {if qh.status == 'a'} Approved {else} {if qh.rstatus == 'c'} On-going {else} Pending {/if} {/if} {else}   {/if}
Start a New Topic
ID Topics Replies Latest Post (ET)
{if dlist!=null} {for d in dlist} {/for}
${parseInt(d_index)+1} ${d.sentence} ${d.replyNum} ${d.lastestDate}
{else}
No discussion topic.
{/if}
Label Name:
 
Group Name:
 
 
{else}
     You have no group.
{/if}
Advertisements
{if advertisements.length > 0} {else} {/if}
{for ad in advertisements}
${ad.adTitle}
${ad.adSentence}
${ad.adUrl}
{/for}

Home | About Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Browse Questions | RSS Feed

Copyright ©2010 WISTEME LLC. All Rights Reserved.