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Birth Defect: Cleft Lip/palate

Common birth defects include cleft lip and cleft palate. More than 5,000 infants every year in the United States are born with either cleft lip or cleft palate.

A cleft is an opening that occurs in the lip, the roof of the mouth (palate) or even both. When in the womb every baby has this cleft when it is forming, but the structures are suppose to fuse together during the first 3 months of gestation. In babies born with cleft lip or cleft palate, for some reason it only partially fuses or doesn't fuse at all.

Cleft lip can occur on one or on both sides of the upper lip. These defects can be associated with some 300 other genetic birth defects.

Cleft lip is correctable with surgery. The surgery will leave minimal scarring.

Symptoms:

The physical signs of a cleft lip can be detected immediately at birth.

The cleft may be a small notch or it can extend from the lip through the upper gum and palate.

It is less common for the cleft to happen in the muscles of the soft palate only (submucous cleft). When this happens it can sometimes not be noticed right away.

Causes:

Researchers believe that it is a combination of both genetic and environmental factors that cause cleft lip and cleft palate. This clefting can occur due to an inherit gene from one of the parents and then an environmental factor triggers the cleft to happen.

Environmental factors may include fetal exposure to cigarette smoke, alcohol, certain medications, illicit drugs and even certain viruses. Nutritional deficiencies in the mother before or during pregnancy may also lead to the formation of clefts.

Risks:

Family history of cleft lip or cleft palate

Native American, Latino and also Asian descent are all backgrounds with higher risks for clefts

Males are twice as likely to have clefts than females

Environmental factors such as exposure to cigarette smoke in early fetal development, exposure to alcohol and illicit drugs puts an unborn baby at risk

Seeking Medical Attention:

The cleft lip and cleft palate are usually physically identified at birth, and the doctor will immediately start the treatment.

A submucous cleft palate is usually hidden and may not be noticed right away. If a baby has difficulty feeding, including nasal regurgitation and excessive gassiness, the parents should seek medical attention to discover the cause as it may be submucous cleft palate.

Speech delays and a nasal-sounding voice as well as increased nasal discharge may also be symptoms of a submucous cleft palate that should have medical attention.

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