What are structural birth defects? If you are planning a pregnancy and are concerned about structural birth defects, here is what you must know.Becoming pregnant can fill a woman with one of the most exquisite joys in the world; however, there is always a niggling apprehension about whether the baby will be a healthy one. These fears are not entirely unfounded either because as the WHO reports, about 1 in 33 infants are born with congenital anomalies. Of these anomalies, a significant number can be structural birth defects.
As the name indicates, structural birth defects are related to some problem with the structure of certain parts of the baby’s body. Some of the commonly encountered defects include:
- Cleft lip
- Clubfoot
- Heart defects
- Gastrointestinal tract defects
- Neural tube defects
Causes of Structural Birth Defects and Who is at Risk
Structural birth defects can arise from when some genes or chromosomes are defective or missing in the baby growing within the mother’s womb. Babies exposed to an unhealthy environment because the mother uses alcohol or drugs or smokes or because she contracts a disease such as German measles are also at greater risk for structural birth defects. Women who are over 35 years when they conceive, those with a family history of birth defects and those suffering from untreated sexually transmitted infections are more likely to give birth to babies with structural
birth defects.
Signs and Symptoms of Structural Birth Defects
Structural birth defects are often not obvious until the baby is born. Some defects may be detected immediately after birth whereas others are diagnosed only after a few years of life. A few common symptoms associated with structural birth defects include:
- Difficulty in breathing
- Failing the hearing test carried out on the newborn
- Problems with feeding
- Delay in achieving developmental milestones
Other signs and symptoms of structural birth defects vary depending upon the specific condition.
- A baby with cleft lip will have a long opening visible between the nose and the upper lip because the tissues of the mouth have not been formed correctly.
- Babies with cerebral palsy will have problems with controlling their muscle movements.
- In an infant with clubfoot, the feet are turned inwards or point downwards because of some defect in the formation of the muscles, joints, bones and blood vessels of the ankle and the foot.
- In some babies, the upper portion of the thigh bone does not fit as it should into the pelvis and this condition called congenital hip dislocation causes the hip joint to move out of place or makes one leg appear shorter than the other.
- Congenital heart defects that are very severe can be diagnosed during pregnancy but milder forms manifest only after birth. These are characterised by rapid breathing, grey coloured skin, swollen belly and legs and abnormal heart sounds.
- Structural defects along the gastrointestinal tract may manifest in the form of feeding intolerance, distension of the stomach, vomiting of food or bile and improper passage of stools.
How and Can Structural Birth Defects be Screened and Diagnosed?
Routine prenatal tests such as blood tests and ultrasound tests and a thorough medical history can help the doctor identify if the mother suffers from some health condition that is dangerous for the foetus. Some tests can help to identify if the baby has problems such as neural tube defects, heart defects, cleft lip and gastrointestinal defects. Amniocentesis and Chorionic Villus Sampling are tests that can help to identify if there is a genetic disorder; but these tests can cause miscarriage and therefore, they are only performed when the doctor suspects a baby to be at a high risk for genetic problems.
Treatment of Structural Birth Defects
The type of treatment for a structural birth defect depends on how severe the problem is. Certain abnormalities when detected before birth can be treated with drugs; in other cases, surgery may be required after the baby is born. If a baby has a structural birth defect that causes restricted movement or significant impairment of brain function, the parents will have to provide life-long care to their child.
Preventing Structural Birth Defects
The scariest part about structural birth defects is that they can strike even babies who are born to perfectly healthy parents. Fortunately, there are
preventive steps an expectant mother can take to keep this risk low such as:
- Taking folic acid supplements once you decide to conceive and also during pregnancy as recommended by the gynaecologist
- Avoiding consumption of drugs, alcohol and cigarette smoke during pregnancy
- Consulting a doctor before taking any medication or vaccines
- Maintaining a healthy pregnancy weight
- Getting the necessary screening tests at the prescribed time to identify problems early on
Structural birth defects are a sad reality for some parents. However, thanks to the advances in modern medicine, it is now possible to identify these and correct them. As a result, many babies get a new lease of life and can grow into healthy young children, giving joy to everyone in the family.
What are the causes of structural birth defects? How to prevent structural birth defects? Is there a complete cure for structural birth defects? Discuss here. 
