congenital disorder
condition present at birth regardless of cause; human disease or disorder developed prior to birth
Key facts
- Other names
- Congenital disorder, congenital disease, congenital deformity, congenital anomaly
- Specialty
- Medical genetics , pediatrics
- Symptoms
- Physical disability , intellectual disability , developmental disability
- Usual onset
- Present at birth
- Types
- Structural, functional
- Causes
- Genetics , exposure to certain medications or chemicals, certain infections during pregnancy
- Risk factors
- Insufficient folic acid , drinking alcohol or smoking , poorly controlled diabetes
- Treatment
- Therapy , medication, surgery, assistive technology
- Frequency
- 3% of newborns (US)
- Deaths
- 628,000 (2015)
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
1,472,847 papersArticle
A birth defect is an abnormal condition that is present at birth, regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can range from mild to severe. Birth defects are divided into two main types: structural disorders in which problems are seen with the shape of a body part and functional disorders in which problems exist with how a body part works. Functional disorders include metabolic and degenerative disorders. Some birth defects include both structural and functional disorders.
Birth defects may result from genetic or chromosomal disorders, exposure to certain medications or chemicals, or certain infections during pregnancy. Risk factors include folate deficiency, drinking alcohol or smoking during pregnancy, poorly controlled diabetes, and a mother over the age of 35 years. Many birth defects are believed to involve multiple factors. Birth defects may be visible at birth or diagnosed by screening tests. A number of defects can be detected before birth by different prenatal tests.