Birth Defects
This page on HealthMBA.com is about the risks, causes and potential preventative measures for birth defects. Genetic diseases can't always be prevented, but there are many factors that can aid parents in reducing the risks for their children being born with debilitating genetic defects.
Understanding and preventing birth defects is a serious matter of health for your children and for yourself. Sometimes a person is dealt a difficult set of cards for their health when they enter life and they are born with genetic defects or the effects of complications during pregnancy and birth. The possibility for this kind of serious health risk at birth is present in all pregnancies. The rate of babies born with the effects of a genetic disease or damage due to complications is over three percent. This figure, though seemingly a small consideration, is a real risk that affects millions of births each year. A baby born with a condition such as Down Syndrome or cerebral palsy faces the dangers to their health and happiness, and the families affected face serious challenges to overcome the emotional and financial struggles.
Medicine and therapy have advanced greatly to improve the quality of life and the chances for healthy development in many children, but the best thing for expecting parents is to lower their risk factors as much as possible for developing defects during pregnancy. The predominant cause for genetic birth defects is that the two parents pass on destructive genetic traits that become active in the baby that they conceive. The general risk factor for this phenomenon is just around 3%, but in some cases the risk factor is much higher considering the genetic makeup and inheritance of the parents. Dominant or passive traits may be passed on from generation to generation, and often although the negative effects won't be apparent the genetic code or "trigger" will still be intertwined in a person's DNA.
If the genetic code of two parents are combined with these genes for defects the risks are much higher that their baby will inherit an active, dominant form of the disease and show the physical effects. Knowledge of a family's genetic history, such as birth defects, cancer and heart disease, will give some indication of what to expect for yourself and your children. The prospective parents could also seek out medical counseling to discuss their family histories, their current genetic makeup, and their risks for passing on negative genetic effects. It is also important for the parents to be mindful of the factors in their lifestyles and the environment that they live in that would have an adverse effect on their own health and the risks for genetic defects in their children.
Major factors are alcohol and tobacco, which are known to be very dangerous to a developing fetus. Other factors include the parents being in an area of pollution or coming in contact with radioactive materials or other harmful forms of radiation. Having a thorough and realistic understanding of your genetic health is vital in giving your children the best chances for being born in good health. Passing on genetic defects cannot always be predicted or prevented, but there are many ways for responsible parents to up the chances for their children.
