birth defects definition of birth defects in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

birth defects, abnormalities in physical or mental structure or function that are present at birth. They range from minor to seriously deforming or life-threatening. A major defect of some type occurs in approximately 3% of all births. Defects may be genetic in origin, as in Down syndrome Down syndrome, congenital disorder characterized by mild to severe mental retardation, slow physical development, and characteristic physical features. Down syndrome affects about 1 in every 730 live births and occurs in all populations equally.
..... Click the link for more information. , Tay-Sachs disease Tay-Sachs disease , rare hereditary disease caused by a genetic mutation that leaves the body unable to produce an enzyme necessary for fat metabolism in nerve cells, producing central nervous system degeneration.
..... Click the link for more information. , sickle cell disease sickle cell disease or sickle cell anemia, inherited disorder of the blood in which the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin pigment in erythrocytes (red blood cells) is abnormal.
..... Click the link for more information. , and hemophilia hemophilia , genetic disease in which the clotting ability of the blood is impaired and excessive bleeding results. The disease is transmitted through females but almost invariably affects male offspring only.
..... Click the link for more information. , or may be the result of infections, such as rubella rubella or German measles, acute infectious disease of children and young adults. It is caused by a filterable virus that is spread by droplet spray from the respiratory tract of an infected individual.
..... Click the link for more information. and sexually transmitted diseases sexually transmitted disease (STD) or venereal disease, term for infections acquired mainly through sexual contact. Five diseases were traditionally known as venereal diseases: gonorrhea, syphilis, and the less common granuloma inguinale,
..... Click the link for more information. . Other teratogenic (malformation-causing) agents include drugs or hormones taken by the mother (e.g., thalidomide thalidomide , sleep-inducing drug found to produce skeletal defects in developing fetuses. The drug was marketed in Europe, especially in West Germany and Britain, from 1957 to 1961, and was thought to be so safe that it was sold without prescription.
..... Click the link for more information. and DES DES or diethylstilbestrol , synthetic nonsteroid female sex hormone having the same physiological effects as estrogen. In the 1940s and 50s DES was mistakenly believed to reduce the risk of miscarriage and was routinely prescribed for pregnant
..... Click the link for more information. ) and maternal illnesses (e.g., diabetes diabetes or diabetes mellitus , chronic disorder of glucose (sugar) metabolism caused by inadequate production or use of insulin, a hormone produced in specialized cells (beta cells in the islets of Langerhans) in the pancreas that allows the
..... Click the link for more information. ). The mother's nutrition, drinking (see fetal alcohol syndrome fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), pattern of physical, developmental, and psychological abnormalities seen in babies born to mothers who consumed alcohol during pregnancy.
..... Click the link for more information. ), smoking smoking, inhalation and exhalation of the fumes of burning tobacco in cigars and cigarettes and pipes. Some persons draw the smoke into their lungs; others do not. Smoking was probably first practiced by the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere.
..... Click the link for more information. , and drug abuse, as well as exposure to toxic chemicals and radiation, can also affect the developing fetus. Smoking, drugs, toxic chemicals, and the like can also damage the father's sperm, which may pass on the defect to the embryo in fertilization. The incidence of some disorders is elevated when the mother or father is older, which increases the likelihood of age-related gene mutations. Certain birth defects can now be detected prenatally through amniocentesis amniocentesis , diagnostic procedure in which a sample of the amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus is removed from the uterus by means of a fine needle inserted through the abdomen of the pregnant woman (see pregnancy).
..... Click the link for more information. and chorionic villus sampling chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or chorionic villus biopsy (CVB) , diagnostic procedure in which a sample of chorionic villi from the developing placenta is removed from the uterus of a pregnant woman (see pregnancy) using a fine needle inserted
..... Click the link for more information. . Surgical procedures to correct certain disorders before birth are still considered experimental.

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No references found			However, the study also showed that other antibiotics, such as sulfonamides and nitrofurantoins, may be linked to several severe birth defects and require additional scrutiny. Certain antibiotics may be safe to use during pregnancy: Study by Asian News International Congenital heart defects are the most common types of birth defect and among all birth defects they are a leading cause of illness, death and medical expenditures," Edwin Trevathan, director of the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, said in a statement on Thursday. Obesity in Mothers May Result in Heart Defects in Babies by FARS News Agency Researchers analyzed data on 6,440 infants with congenital heart defects and 5,673 infants without birth defects for the study, the results of which were published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Obese mothers more likely to have babies with heart defects by AFP / AFP American Edition			birnessite Birney, Earle Birney, James G Birney, James Gillespie Birobidzhan Birobidzhaner Shtern Birobidzhanskaia Zvezda Birom Biron Biron, Ernst Johann Biron, Ernst Johann von Biron, Evgenii Biron, Evgenii Vladislavovich Bironovshchina Birotteau, César birotulate Birrell, Augustine Birseck Birsha Birsk Birstonas birth birth canal birth control birth defect birth defects Birth Injury Birth of a Nation, The Birth of a Nation, The D. W. Birth of Baha'u'llah Birth of the Bab birth process birth rate birth-death process Birthday Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday of Allen Birthday of Appleseed Birthday of Eddy Birthday of George Tupou V Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Birthday of Guru Har Krishan Birthday of Guru Ram Das Birthday of Iqbal Birthday of Kim Il-sung Birthday of Kim Jong-Il Birthday of Lu Pan Birthday of Matsu Birthday of Mozart Birthday of Parshva Birthday of Runeberg Birthday of Sun Yat-sen			birth control birth control Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau birth control device birth control device Birth Control Devices Birth Control Federation of America Birth Control Glasses Birth Control International Information Centre birth control pill birth control pill birth control pill birth control pill Birth control pills Birth control pills Birth control pills Birth Control/Contraception Birth Control/Contraception Birth Control/Contraception Birth Control/Contraception Birth Cushion Birth Dad Birth Daughter Birth Death Sample Registration birth defect birth defect birth defect birth defect birth defect Birth Defect Research for Children, Inc. birth defects Birth Defects Information System Birth Defects Monitoring Program Birth Defects Prevalence Rate Birth Defects Reporting and Information System Birth Defects Research Unit Birth Defects Work Group birth difficulties birth difficulties birth difficulties birth difficulties Birth Disorder Information Directory Birth Doula Birth Education, Training, Acceptance, Inc. birth family birth family birth family birth father birth father Birth Index Birth injuries Birth injuries birth injury birth injury birth injury birth injury birth interval birth interval birth interval birth interval Birth mark