Hare Lip: causes

At the end of the first month of pregnancy, the baby's mouth is formed from two separate halves that grow side by side. Somewhere from the sixth to the eighth week they join together to form the upper jaw. Next, the seam goes forward and back to seal the lips with the tongue. By the tenth week of pregnancy, the mouth is completely formed, and the nose acquired a familiar structure and arrangement.

The hare's lip is a congenital defect in which the baby's upper lip is formed completely and has an opening. The wolf mouth is a similar congenital anomaly in which the palate of the future child does not form completely, but has a hole. Some children with a cleft lip have only a small notch on the upper lip. Others have a full open hole that passes through the upper jaw to the bottom of the nose. Anomaly can appear on one or both sides of a child's mouth. This congenital defect is called an oral cleft, or hare lip. Children of the cause of its occurrence to this day are unknown.

Defects and conditions for their development vary in severity and extent with variations:

• Cleft lip (lip defect).
• Cleft palate (palate defect).
• Cleft lip and palate (both defects).
• Microform of cleft (crack or scar).
• One-sided cleft (one side of the lip and palate).
• Two-sided cleft (both sides of the lip and palate).

Hare's lip and wolf mouth: causes

The causes of hare lip, wolf mouth and other facial anomalies are not well understood, but they are directly related to changes in the child's genes. It is believed that 25% of cases are heredity, up to 15% - chromosomal abnormalities and 60% - external causes of the birth of children with a hare lip. The tendency to deformation can be inherited from one or both parents. The potential for the development of the disease increases when it occurs with close members of the same family.

Other factors that can affect the genes that result in splitting are viruses, certain drugs, diet and environmental toxins. Recent studies have identified smoking and alcohol use during pregnancy as risk factors for the development of cleft lip and palate, as well as other congenital defects. In addition, the presence of diabetes significantly increases the risk of having a baby with a hare lip or without a palate. Drug use and intoxication of the body can also cause these congenital defects. Splitting of the lip and palate may occur along with other congenital anomalies. This can lead to a number of difficulties in daily life. Babies are often born with a cleft in the lip or sky, if their relatives had this disease, or they have a history of other congenital defects.

Genetics and heredity

To this day, the true causes of cleft palate and lip are unknown, but doctors believe that defects occur due to genetic and environmental factors. Genetics can play a role in the development of such a disease as a hare lip. The causes of the occurrence can combine several factors. If one or both parents had this deviation, this significantly increases the manifestation of the anomaly in the child. What kind of lifestyle you lead during pregnancy can also increase the likelihood of an anomaly in your baby.

So, why develop such a disease, like a hare lip? Photos, causes and methods of treatment will help to know better about this pathology.

• The effects of phenytoin or the use of drugs during pregnancy increase the risk of an abnormality 10 times or more.
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the chance of developing a defect in 2 times.
• The use of alcohol, anticonvulsant drugs or retinolic acid provokes congenital defects that include cleft lip and palate
• During pregnancy, a deficiency of vitamins, especially folic acid, can also cause the development of craniofacial anomaly.

There are many factors in which the harelip of children are concerned. Causes, photos of this disease make it clear the seriousness of the situation. The cleft palate can develop as an isolated congenital defect or as part of a larger genetic syndrome that can lead to more severe malformations.

Environment

During pregnancy, what a mother takes, eats and drinks, is crucial to the development of her future child. Vitamins and nutrients enter the growing body through the mother's blood. But between a woman and her future baby there is a solid protective shell, called the placenta. It does not miss some toxic substances and protects the child securely in the womb. While the placenta is really good at filtering out toxins, other dangerous chemicals can pass through this barrier and enter the bloodstream of the fetus.

The causative cause lip disease is genetic, so during pregnancy you need to carefully monitor your health.

Toxic substances

Harmful substances, such as pesticides and mercury, can get through the blood to the baby, thereby causing serious disruption in his development. In 2004, a special environmental working group examined the umbilical cord blood of ten newborns. The researchers found on average about 200 types of industrial chemicals and pollutants. 180 of these compounds are known carcinogens.
There is a theory that the human body system was formed long before the development of most harmful chemicals. Our body simply can not recognize and neutralize such elements. In any case, the health community is convinced that some of these chemicals contribute to the development of congenital defects. Foreign scientists have discovered that certain areas of genes in chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 8, 13 and 15 are associated with the formation of cleft in the sky and lip. This study has taken an important step to better understand the causes of diseases, genetic and environmental.

What can I do to prevent an anomaly?

Some researchers suggest that taking folic acid during pregnancy can reduce the chances of a child developing such anomalies. This substance is found in most multivitamins. It is known that folic acid really reduces the risk of another unrelated birth defect.

What chemicals can affect the development of a defect?

Find out what substances lead to the diagnosis - a fairly difficult task.
The appearance of such a defect as a hare lip, causes different, but mostly it is a combination of genetic factors and environmental toxins. Genes can start to develop incorrectly, but they need a little push from the outside world.

Medicines, which, according to experts, can cause the appearance of clefts:

• Vasoactive drugs that increase or decrease blood pressure ("Pseudoephedrine" and "Aspirin").
• Antiepileptic drugs, such as "Carbamazepine" and "Phenytoin." Some researchers believe that the reason for everything, in fact, is the epilepsy itself, and not the drugs used to treat it
• "Isotretinoin", or "Accutane" - a medical drug used to treat severe acne manifestations (acne). Do not take Accutane during pregnancy. It is not necessary to plan pregnancy throughout the course of using the drug and within a month after.
• Corticosteroids, such as "Hydrocortisone" and "Cortisone." The use of these drugs during pregnancy can lead to a diagnosis of "hare lip". Causes can also serve as risk factors for pregnancy.

There are several complications that can affect babies and children with a cleft lip or palate.

Problems with feeding

Because of an anatomical defect, the very process of breastfeeding can be quite difficult for newborns. Abnormal separation of the upper lip makes feeding uncomfortable. With a similar anomaly, it is impossible to obtain a good seal, which is necessary for the successful flow of the process. Ordinary nipples for bottle feeding represent the same problem. Nevertheless, there is a specialized crockery that promotes effective nutrition.
Children with a wolf mouth, as a rule, are equipped with a removable artificial palate from the very beginning of life. This device limits the possibility of liquids entering the nostrils, and also facilitates the ability to suck from the specialized nipple.

Ear infections or partial hearing loss

Children with cleft palate most often have ear infections and associated fluid accumulation in the inner part of the tympanic membrane. In order to limit these problems, most children with cleft palate have PEP (tubes), conducted through the tympanic membrane during the first months of life.

Problems with speech

As might be expected, the developmental anomalies associated with the palate and lip may affect the articulation. The most common problem, as a rule, is the quality of voice. Corrective surgery can help reduce these speech problems, but most children with a cleft lip or palate benefit from speech therapy with a speech therapist.

Dental Problems

Children with a cleft lip or palate often have problems with the lack or distorted structure of the teeth and usually require orthodontic treatment. If the upper jaw has a dysfunction, for example, improper placement and positioning of permanent teeth, then the situation requires maxillofacial surgery.

Treatment of hare lip and wolf mouth

Doctors can now diagnose an anomaly on the basis of ultrasound readings as early as the 18th week of pregnancy. Diagnosing the cleft in the sky is more difficult, since it is hidden inside the mouth. After the diagnosis, doctors can perform a procedure in which amniotic fluid is extracted for testing for genetic syndrome. To determine the cleft at an early stage and to formulate the right therapy, as a rule, an extensive group of specialists is required.

Surgery

Correction of a cleft by a surgical way usually occurs after 7 weeks of a newborn's life. This type of surgery refers to plastic surgery. If the child's nose is affected by changes due to this defect, rhinoplasty may be necessary. Children born with a cleft lip usually require constant therapy with a variety of specialized procedures to achieve complete recovery.