Congenital Abnormalities Flashcards
What are the most common serious congenital disorders?
1) Heart defects
2) Neural tube defects (NTDs)
3) Down syndrome
What are the types causes of congenital anomalies (although in many cases it is difficult to identify their cause)?
1) Genetic
2) Infectious
3) Environmental
How can congenital rubella syndrome be prevented?
Timely vaccination of mothers during childhood and the reproductive years
What are key ways to prevent and treat many birth anomalies?
1) Adequate intake of folic acid
2) Iodine
3) Vaccination
4) Adequate antenatal care
What are birth defects/congenital disorders/malformations?
Structural or functional anomalies incl. metabolic disorders, which are present at the time of birth
What % of recognised pregnancies (more bc many people don’t know they are pregnant e.g. in first 2 weeks) are lost before 12 weeks gestation (first trimester) ?
15%
Why do spontaneously aborted pregnancies occur?
- 80-85% have gross structural abnormalities
- 50% chromosomal abnormalities - trisomy, monosomy, triploidy
What does a malformation signify?
That fetal growth and development did not proceed normally due to underlying genetic, epigenetic or environmental factors that altered the development of a particular structure
What are causes of malformations?
1) Monogenic/Mendelian (7.5%) e.g. achondroplasia (AD), achondrogenesis (AR)
2) Chromosomal (6%) e.g. T21
3) Multifactorial (20%) e.g. NTDs, isolated congenital heart disease, cleft lip and palate
What are genetic causes of malformations?
1) Ectrodactyly Ectoderm dysplasia clefting (EEC) - P63
2) Diastrophic dysplasia - SLC26A2
3) Apert syndrome - FGFR2 - complete syndactyly of digits of hands
4) Grieg syndrome - GLI3
What are environmental causes of malformations?
1) Teratogens e.g. fetal valproate syndrome (similar symptoms to T21)
2) Thalidomide
3) Maternal medication
What is diabetic embryopathy caused by?
Poorly controlled maternal diabetes (hyperglycaemia in utero - if mum didn’t have diabetes, could be genetic
What are the clinical features of diabetic embryopathy?
1) Midline facial defects
2) Microtia (underdevelopment of ears)
3) Microsomia
4) Large or small birth weight
5) CNS malformations
6) NTDs
What are examples of congenital infections leading to specific syndromes/problems resulting from infection in pregnancy?
1) Zika
2) CMV
3) Rubella
What are clinical features of congenital zika syndrome?
1) Microcephaly
2) Problems with vision and hearing
3) Problems moving limbs and body
4) Damage to the brain (CNS defects)
5) Seizures
6) Problems with feeding (difficulty swallowing)
What is a feature of congenital CMV?
Significant neurological disorders
What are the 3 clinical features of congenital rubella syndrome?
1) Microcephaly
2) PDA (patent ductus arteriosus)
3) Cataracts
What are syndromes?
Collections of consistent recognisable patterns of abnormalities, not necessarily genetic