At the end of the first month of pregnancy, the baby's mouth is formed of two separate halves that grow next to each other. Somewhere from the sixth to the eighth week, they join together to form the upper jaw. Further, the seam goes 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 location.
The cleft lip is a birth defect in which the baby’s upper lip is fully formed and has a hole. The cleft palate is a similar congenital anomaly in which the palate of the unborn child does not form completely, but has a hole. Some children with cleft lip have only a small notch on their upper lip. Others have a full open hole that runs through the upper jaw to the lower part of the nose. An abnormality may occur on one or both sides of the baby’s mouth. This birth defect is called 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 (defect of the palate).
- Cleft lips and palate (both defects).
- Cleft microform (fissure or scar).
- One-sided cleft (one side of the lip and palate).
- Bilateral cleft (both sides of the lip and palate).
Cleft lip and cleft palate: causes
The causes of cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial abnormalities are not well understood, but they are directly related to changes in the genes of the child. 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 cleft lip. The tendency to warp can be inherited from one or both parents. The potential for developing the disease increases when it occurs with close members of the same family.
Other factors that can affect the genes that lead to cleavage are viruses, some drugs, diet, and environmental toxins. Recent studies have identified smoking and drinking during pregnancy as risk factors for cleft lip and palate, as well as other birth defects. In addition, the presence of diabetes significantly increases the risk of having a baby with a cleft lip or without a palate. Drug use and intoxication can also cause these birth defects. Splitting of the lips and palate can occur along with other congenital anomalies. This can lead to a number of difficulties in everyday life. Infants are often born with a cleft lip or palate, if their relatives had this disease, or they have a history of other birth defects.
Genetics and heredity
To this day, the true causes of cleft palate and lips are unknown, but doctors believe that the defects are due to genetic and environmental factors. Genetics can play a role in the development of a disease such as cleft lip. Causes of occurrence may combine several factors. If one or both parents had this deviation, this significantly increases the manifestation of the anomaly in the child. What lifestyle you lead during pregnancy can also increase the likelihood of developing an abnormality in your baby.
So, why does a disease like cleft lip develop? Photos, causes and treatment methods will help to better know about this pathology.
- Exposure to phenytoin or drug use during pregnancy increases the risk of anomalies by 10 times or more.
- Smoking during pregnancy increases the chance of developing a defect by 2 times.
- The use of alcohol, anticonvulsants, or retinolic acid causes birth defects that include cleft lip and palate.
- During pregnancy, a deficiency of vitamins, and especially folic acid, can also cause the development of a craniofacial anomaly.
There are many factors that bother children's cleft lip. Reasons, photos of this disease make it clear the seriousness of the situation. The cleft palate can develop as an isolated birth defect or as part of a larger genetic syndrome that can lead to more severe malformations.
Environment
During pregnancy, what a mother takes, eats and drinks is crucial to the developmental process of her unborn baby. Vitamins and nutrients enter the growing body through the blood of the mother. But between the woman and her future baby there is a strong protective shell called the placenta. She does not miss some toxic substances and reliably protects the child in the womb. While the placenta really filters out toxins well, other dangerous chemicals can pass through this barrier and enter the fetal blood stream.
The disease of the cleft lip is genetic, therefore, during pregnancy, you need to carefully monitor your health.
Toxic substances
Harmful substances, such as pesticides and mercury, can pass through the bloodstream to the baby, thereby causing serious disruptions in its development. In 2004, a special environmental working group examined the umbilical cord blood of ten newborns. Researchers found an average of 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 case, the health community is convinced that some of these chemicals 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 in the sky and lip. This study took an important step to better understand the causes of diseases, genetic and environmental.
What to do to prevent an anomaly?
Some researchers suggest that taking folic acid during pregnancy can reduce the chances of a 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 a defect?
To find out which substances lead to the diagnosis is a rather difficult task.
The occurrence of a defect such as cleft lip has different causes, but it is mainly a combination of genetic factors and environmental toxins. Genes may start abnormal development, but they need a little push from the outside world.
Medicines that, according to experts, can cause the appearance of crevices:
- Vasoactive drugs that increase or decrease blood pressure (Pseudoephedrine and Aspirin).
- Antiepileptic drugs such as Carbamazepine and Phenytoin. Some researchers believe that the cause of everything, in fact, is epilepsy itself, and not the drugs used to treat it.
- Isotretinoin, or Accutane, is a medicine taken to treat severe manifestations of acne (acne). Do not take Accutane during pregnancy. You should not plan pregnancy during the entire course of use of 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 breastfeeding process itself 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 seal, which is necessary for the successful course of the process. Conventional bottle nipples pose the same problem. Nevertheless, there are specialized dishes that promote effective nutrition.
Children with cleft palate are usually equipped with a removable artificial palate from the very beginning of life. This device limits the possibility of fluids entering the nostrils, and also facilitates the ability to absorb from specialized nipples.
Ear infections or partial hearing loss
Children with cleft palate most often have ear infections and associated fluid accumulations in the inside of the eardrum. In order to limit these problems, most children with cleft palate have PEPs (tubes) inserted through the eardrum during the first months of life.
Speech problems
As you would expect, developmental abnormalities associated with the palate and lip can affect articulation. The most common problem, as a rule, is voice quality. Corrective surgery can help reduce these speech problems, but most children with cleft lip or palate benefit from speech therapy with a speech therapist.
Dental problems
Children with cleft lip or palate often have problems with missing or distorted tooth structures and usually require orthodontic treatment. If the upper jaw has a dysfunction, for example, improper placement and positioning of permanent teeth, then the situation requires maxillofacial surgery.
Treatment of cleft lip and cleft palate
Doctors can now diagnose an abnormality based on ultrasound readings as early as 18 weeks of gestation. Diagnosing a cleft in the sky is more difficult, as it is hidden inside the oral cavity. After a diagnosis is made, doctors can perform a procedure in which amniotic fluid is removed to test for the presence of a genetic syndrome. To determine the cleft at an early stage and formulate the right therapy, as a rule, an extensive group of specialists is required.
Surgery
Surgical cleft correction usually occurs after 7 weeks of a newborn’s life. This type of surgery refers to plastic surgery. If the baby’s nose is affected by the changes due to this defect, rhinoplasty may be necessary. Babies born with cleft lip usually need ongoing therapy with many specialized procedures to achieve full recovery.