Information About Babies Born With an Undeveloped Brain
Anencephaly facts*
*Anencephaly facts medical author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, Physician
- Anencephaly is an example of a neural tube defect, a condition that results from an error in the offset weeks of embryonic development.
- In anencephaly, the bones of the skull and brain exercise not develop properly. Babies with anencephaly are missing large areas of the encephalon and accept an incomplete skull.
- Anencephaly affects virtually 1 out of every 1,000 pregnancies, merely about cases finish up as miscarriages. About ane out of every 10,000 babies in the U.Southward. is built-in with anencephaly.
- In about cases, anencephaly is desultory, meaning it does not run in families.
- Anencephaly is non compatible with life. Almost babies with anencephaly are stillborn or die within days or hours of nascence.
- The exact crusade of anencephaly is unknown, simply it is likely the result of an interaction among several genetic and environmental factors.
What is anencephaly?
Anencephaly is a status that prevents the normal evolution of the encephalon and the basic of the skull. This condition results when a structure called the neural tube fails to close during the first few weeks of embryonic evolution. The neural tube is a layer of cells that ultimately develops into the brain and spinal string. Because anencephaly is caused by abnormalities of the neural tube, it is classified as a neural tube defect (NTD).
What are the causes, signs, and symptoms of anencephaly?
If the neural tube fails to close properly, the developing brain and spinal cord are exposed to the amniotic fluid that surrounds the fetus. This exposure causes the nervous system tissue to break downwards (degenerate). As a consequence, people with anencephaly are missing large parts of the brain called the cerebrum and cerebellum. These brain regions are necessary for thinking, hearing, vision, emotion, and coordinating motion. The basic of the skull are too missing or incompletely formed.
Near all babies with anencephaly die before nativity or within a few hours or days subsequently birth.
Anencephaly Symptoms & Signs
Anencephaly is a blazon of neural tube defect, a nascence defect in which there is an absence of the forebrain, the largest part of the brain consisting mainly of the cerebrum, which is responsible for thinking and coordination. The remaining brain tissue is usually exposed and is non covered by bone or skin.
Signs and symptoms include an absence of the bony covering over the back of the head and missing bones along the front and sides of the head. Infants born with anencephaly are unremarkably blind, deaf, and never attain consciousness. Affected infants may die shortly after birth or within days of birth. Affected individuals practise non survive infancy.
How common is anencephaly?
Anencephaly is i of the virtually common types of neural tube defect, affecting well-nigh 1 in one,000 pregnancies. Withal, most of these pregnancies end in miscarriage, and so the prevalence of this condition in newborns is much lower. An estimated 1 in x,000 infants in the United States is built-in with anencephaly.
What genes are related to anencephaly?
Anencephaly is a complex condition that is likely caused by the interaction of multiple genetic and environmental factors. Some of these factors have been identified, but many remain unknown.
Changes in dozens of genes may influence the risk of anencephaly. The best-studied of these genes is MTHFR, which provides instructions for making a protein that is involved in processing the B-vitamin folate (besides called folic acid or vitamin B9). Changes in other genes related to folate processing and genes involved in the development of the neural tube take likewise been studied every bit potential gamble factors for anencephaly. However, none of these genes appear to play a major role in causing the condition.
Researchers have too examined environmental factors that could contribute to the risk of anencephaly. A shortage (deficiency) of folate appears to play a pregnant role. Studies have shown that women who have supplements containing this vitamin before they get significant and very early in their pregnancy are significantly less likely to have a baby with anencephaly or a related neural tube defect. Other possible take a chance factors for anencephaly include diabetes mellitus, obesity, exposure to high rut (such as a fever or apply of a hot tub or sauna) in early pregnancy, and the use of certain anti-seizure medications during pregnancy. However, it is unclear how these factors may influence the hazard of anencephaly.
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How do people inherit anencephaly?
Most cases of anencephaly are sporadic, which means they occur in people with no history of the disorder in their family. A pocket-size per centum of cases take been reported to run in families; however, the condition does not have a clear pattern of inheritance. For parents who take had a child with anencephaly, the risk of having another afflicted child is increased compared to the take a chance in the full general population.
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References
SOURCE:
"Anencephaly." NIH Genetics Dwelling Reference. 18 Aug. 2014.
Source: https://www.medicinenet.com/anencephaly/article.htm
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