Summary: What factors can cause birth defects in babies? What are the dangers of birth defects in babies? How to prevent birth defects? Can I still continue to be pregnant if I find that the fetus is defective? In this issue of expert opinions, Yin Aihua, director of the Medical Genetics Center of Guangdong Maternal and Child Health Hospital, is invited to explain the issue of fetal birth defects. What factors can cause birth defects in babies? What are the dangers of birth defects in babies? How to prevent birth defects? Can I still continue to be pregnant if I find that the fetus is defective? In this issue of expert opinions, Yin Aihua, director of the Medical Genetics Center of Guangdong Maternal and Child Health Hospital, is invited to explain the issue of fetal birth defects.
As one of the countries with a high incidence of birth defects in the world, the number of birth defects in my country is as high as 800,000 to 1.2 million every year, and one person is born with a birth defect approximately every 30 seconds.
What exactly are birth defects? Is this a disease?
Birth defects are not a single disease, but refer to abnormalities in a baby\’s body structure, function or metabolism before birth. Birth defects usually include malformations, missing and ectopic body structures, tissue and organ dysfunction and developmental abnormalities, and congenital genetic metabolic diseases. For example, there are as many as 8,000 types of congenital heart disease, anencephaly, thalassemia major, Down syndrome, achondroplasia, phenylketonuria, cleft lip and palate, polydactyly, clubfoot, hemangioma, etc.
What are the main causes of birth defects?
There are many and complex causes of birth defects, which mainly include two aspects: First, genetic factors, which refer to birth defects caused by gene mutations or chromosomal aberrations, which can be divided into single-gene defects, chromosomal abnormalities and polygenic defects. The second is environmental factors, including nutrition, disease, infection, medication and exposure to harmful substances. For example, during the embryonic period (3 months before pregnancy), various infections or exposure to radiation, chemicals, drugs, maternal illness during pregnancy, or long-term work in high-temperature and hot environments, etc. According to data reports, birth defects caused only by genetic factors Just 10%25%. In many cases, the occurrence of children with defects is caused by environmental factors, or the result of a combination of genetic factors and environmental factors. In addition, the causes of many birth defects are still unclear, including maternal factors during pregnancy: infections (various viruses, bacteria), diabetes, hyperthyroidism and other diseases, drug effects, nutritional element deficiencies, etc.
What are the risks of birth defects?
There are many types of birth defects, and the degree of harm varies greatly. Some serious chromosomal abnormalities or developmental abnormalities can lead to fetal miscarriage and stillbirth; some birth defects will not cause fetal death, but will affect the child\’s growth and development, and even lead to postnatal disability. Early screening, diagnosis and intervention after birth are needed. Reduce or even avoid the occurrence of health hazards and disabilities, such as most congenital heart disease, cleft lip and palate, phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism, congenital hearing impairment, etc.; there is no effective cure after birth, or treatment and maintenance costs Expensive, such as Down syndrome, thalassemia majorblood, fatal achondroplasia, etc., which require timely prenatal diagnosis and intervention. In addition, there are some congenital defects that are less harmful to health, and some do not require intervention, such as polydactyly, pigmented nevus, accessory ears, etc.
Do all fetuses with birth defects need to be induced?
There are many types of birth defects, and not all birth defects require induction of labor. Only those with severe deformities, disabilities, or fatal defects are recommended for therapeutic induction of labor. This requires consultation with a medical professional and discussion of the decision with the parents.
How do you know if the baby in your mother\’s belly has any congenital defects?
At present, some serious congenital defects can be detected early through blood tests and imaging examinations such as ultrasound at the appropriate stage of pregnancy. Some serious congenital defects, such as Down syndrome, can also be diagnosed prenatally by collecting villus, amniotic fluid and fetal fluid. . Cord blood, severe morphological and structural malformations, thalassemia major, etc. However, there are as many as 8,000 types of birth defect diseases, and some symptoms of birth defects need to be gradually manifested after birth. Prenatal detection and diagnosis of all birth defects is not possible with current technology. Many birth defects require diagnosis after birth. Timely screening and detection.
If I get sick or take medication during pregnancy, will my baby be born with birth defects?
Whether medication during pregnancy has an impact on the fetus depends on the nature, dosage, gestational age and individual differences of the pregnant woman. The first trimester of pregnancy is the most dangerous time. During this period, the fetus\’s main organs are developing and forming, and congenital malformations are most likely to occur when interfered with by drugs. Pregnant women should consult a professional doctor before taking medication. It is best to choose drugs that are recognized to be relatively safe and not harmful to the fetus.
At the same time, illness during pregnancy, especially maternal viral infection in the first trimester, will greatly increase the risk of birth defects in the fetus. If not treated in time, it can be very harmful to the fetus and pregnant women. Therefore, pregnant mothers should seek medical treatment in time when they are sick, carry out treatment under the guidance of a doctor, and do not \”discolor the medicine\”.
Is there any way to prevent birth defects?
The causes of birth defects are complex, and their prevention also needs to start from marriage, and continue to take preventive measures during the pregnancy preparation period, pregnancy and delivery period, and after birth, which is what is professionally called a three-level prevention strategy.
First of all, premarital medical examination and consultation can be carried out before marriage. Under the guidance of doctors, carry out early intervention for diseases that affect fertility, choose the appropriate childbearing age, cultivate reasonable living habits, and protect against occupational hazards. Both parties can also undergo screening for thalassemia.
When preparing for pregnancy, expectant mothers should receive targeted physical examinations and counseling guidance, and expectant mothers should start supplementing with folic acid three months before pregnancy. Both husband and wife should prevent colds, have reasonable nutrition, use drugs with caution, quit smoking and drinking, do aerobic exercise, change bad living habits, control chronic diseases, avoid exposure to high-risk factors such as radiation, toxic and harmful substances, and do not raise pets.things.
Preventive measures for birth defects after pregnancy belong to secondary prevention. The main purpose is early detection, early diagnosis, and early intervention to avoid children with serious birth defects and prepare for the treatment of children with curable birth defects. After pregnancy, you should follow your doctor\’s advice for timely obstetric examination and birth defect screening, and pay attention to reasonable nutrition, exercise, life and disease prevention. At present, fetal birth defect screening mainly includes Down syndrome screening, ultrasound abnormality screening, thalassemia screening and related disease screening. Since the fetus is in a state of rapid growth and development, birth defect screening needs to be performed at different appropriate gestational ages under the guidance of a doctor. Fetuses with screening abnormalities should receive prenatal diagnosis as early as possible. For fetuses diagnosed with severely disabling or fatal birth defects, prenatal intervention should be carried out as soon as possible under the guidance of a doctor. For fetuses with curable congenital defects, prenatal consultation should also be conducted to clarify
Treatment options and prognosis after birth. Advertisement
The preventive measures for birth defects after the birth of newborns are three-level prevention. The main purpose is early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment to avoid the occurrence of disabled children or reduce health hazards. Currently, the statutory newborn disease screening in our province includes screening for congenital hypothyroidism, phenylketonuria, G6PD and congenital hearing impairment. Families with conditions permitting can choose to screen for more types of newborn diseases. For parents whose newborn disease screening is abnormal, they must follow the doctor\’s guidance for subsequent diagnosis (or exclusion of the child as a patient) and early treatment of the diagnosed child.
If the baby has birth defects, is it related to the health of the parents? If related, will there be birth defects if I have another baby?
Some birth defects in babies are related to the inheritance of parents. Chromosomal abnormalities and inherited metabolic diseases are mostly related to parents. There are also a considerable number of birth defects, especially structural malformations, which are the result of environmental factors during the embryonic period and the obstruction of normal development. If a child is diagnosed with chromosomal abnormalities or hereditary metabolic diseases, the parents must undergo chromosomal and genetic examinations before having another child, and consult experts in genetic metabolism to achieve good health and good upbringing. (Correspondents: Zhu Yingxian, Liu Yuanling, Wang Yunan)