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congenital disorder

File:Incomplete_Cleft_Lip.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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congenital disorder

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Also known as congenital disease, birth defect

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 papers

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Subclass of
disease
Show 6 more facts
Commons category
Congenital diseases and disorders
topic's main category
Category:Congenital disorders
on focus list of Wikimedia project
WikiProject Medicine
disease transmission process
heredity
Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

~40 min read

Encyclopedic overview

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.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “congenital disorder” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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