What Causes a Birth Defect?
It's the last thing that an expectant parent wants to hear: Their child may have a birth defect. These Birth Defects (
forum.elaivizh.eu) are caused by factors that occur during the development of the fetus and can affect your child's physical or mental health.
A health care provider can identify birth defects during pregnancy with prenatal testing or newborn screening. However, other birth defects may not be diagnosed until after the baby is born or later, when they begin to show symptoms.
What caused your child's deficiency?
The causes of many birth defects remains unknown. There are certain factors that can increase the risk of being pregnant with a child with a birth defect. These include using prescription drugs or taking certain medications prior to pregnancy, a history of having a family member that has
birth defect lawyers defects or certain medical conditions, such as rheumatic heart disease. Women with an history of these conditions should consult a genetic counselor about their options prior to getting pregnant.
The degree to which a birth defect can cause serious health issues or not is dependent on which body part is affected and the extent of the body part is affected. Usually, the more severe the defect is, the more severe the problem will be.
The majority of birth defects are caused by genetics or the environment during fetal development. The chance of developing birth defects can be decreased by educating yourself about your family's history of health issues and genes by speaking to a genetic counselor, and following prenatal guidelines.
Structural defects are birth issues that affect how the body looks or performs. They can range from visible such as cleft lips and cleft palate, up to the invisible, like metabolic disorders or chromosome problems. Genetic disorders that are inherited can be a type of structural birth defects. Environmental factors, like a lack folic acid, can cause neural tube defects that cause the development of the spinal or brain not being correct.
Gather More Evidence Than You Think You Can.
There are a variety of medical procedures that a pregnant woman may undergo to learn more about the possibility of birth defects. Amniocentesis is one of them, which involves a medical professional taking a small sample of fetal fluid for analysis. This test may reveal chromosomal irregularities, as well other health issues like infections (such as Zika or rubella) or genetic anomalies.
A doctor may also examine the blood of a fetus amniotic fluid, fetal blood and the tissues of its umbilical cord for indications of birth defects. These tests are essential to finding out the reason for birth defects. They can also help determine the severity of the birth defect is and the impact it will have on a child's their adult life.
However, some birth defects can remain unnoticed until a child is born or, in rare cases, as an adult. These issues are not readily apparent until they are present and are often recognized with the help of diagnostic equipment. For these types of cases, it is critical that the medical expert witness is well-versed in these technologies and has the proper experience to recognize these defects. A seasoned medical malpractice attorney is able to determine the right expert for your case.
Employ a Medical Malpractice Lawyer
When a child is born with a severe birth defect or suffers a serious birth injury, it could completely turn a family's world upside down. These injuries can cause long-term physical and mental issues, requiring medical care for a lifetime.
Although medical science has been able to identify the underlying causes behind about 30 percent of birth defects others remain unexplained. Research has shown that certain chemicals and substances may cause birth defects, such as those present in prescription or over the counter medications a mother takes as well as the toxic chemicals that play in certain communities and in homes, or the contaminating air and groundwater.
Doctors are required to evaluate the medication taken by a pregnant mother and inform her of any potential risks to the fetus. If they fail to perform this duty, they can be held accountable for birth defects that are caused by medications.
Doctors also have a duty to examine the safety of any procedure or device they recommend for pregnant women. This includes xray machines, surgical tools, as well as other equipment. If a physician is negligent when using the equipment or fails to properly calibrate the equipment it could cause grave consequences for the baby. This would be considered medical malpractice. It is crucial to contact a medical negligence lawyer as soon as you can when this happens. In some states, you have only a single year to file a medical malpractice case, so the sooner you start the process the more favorable.
Step 1. Step
Birth defects affect 1 of 33 babies born every year, and are a leading cause of infant death. These conditions can be life-threatening and can result in a variety of long-term physical, emotional and cognitive problems. Scientists have in a few cases linked the causes of birth defects in mothers' exposure to prescription and over-the-counter drugs and environmental toxins, complications of motherhood, infections, delivery and pregnancy, family medical history, or genetic illnesses (like sickle cell disease PKU, or other genetic illnesses). But in about 70% of birth defects cases the cause is not known.
Some birth defects, like hearing loss or clubfoot, are easily identifiable and are easily diagnosed at birth or in the first year of a child's life. Other birth defects, such as heart defects or developmental and intellectual disabilities, are not as easily identifiable and require tests that are specific to the condition.
Researchers are trying to figure out what causes birth defects and how some of them can be prevented. For example women who smoke or drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs during pregnancy increase the risk of having a baby with certain birth defects. Women who have an inherited family history of genetic disorders should consider seeing a genetic counselor before trying to become pregnant. They should also utilize the March of Dimes family health history form to collect information about medical conditions that can be found in their families and then share it with their doctor or a genetic counselor.