Causes and Effects of Infant Disease Anencephaly

Anencephaly begins to develop right at the start of life in the womb usually within the 3^rd or 4^th week. A child with anencephaly is born without a scalp and without a brainstem and without a few other cranial functions. The life expectancy of those who survive is only a few hours or days. It is still unknown what causes anencephaly. It is probably triggered by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Actions taking by the parents during pregnancy are of no blame for anencephaly.

Symptoms may include: absence of bony covering over the back of the head, missing bones around the front and sides of the head, folding of the ears, cleft palate - a condition in which the roof of the child's mouth does not completely close, leaving an opening that can extend into the nasal cavity, congenital heart defects, some basic reflexes, but without the cerebrum, there can be no consciousness and the baby cannot survive. The symptoms of anencephaly may resemble other problems or medical conditions.

Anencephaly is due to failure of primary neurulation. In the normal human embryo, the neural plate arises approximately 18 days after fertilization. During the fourth week of development, the neural plate forms the neural groove. The neural tube is formed as closure of the neural groove proceeds from the middle of the groove and progresses toward the ends in both directions, with completion between day 24 for the cranial end and day 26 for the caudal end. Anencephaly results from failure of neural tube closure at the cranial end of the developing embryo. Absence of the brain and calvaria may be partial or complete.

There is no cure or standard medical treatment for anencephaly. Treatment is supportive. Experiencing the loss of a child can be very traumatic. Grief counseling services are available to help parents cope with the loss of their child.

Approximately one child out of every 1000 births is diagnosed with anencephaly. This rate varies according to populations. Anencephaly affects more girls than it does boys. Studies have shown anencephaly is six times more common in whites than blacks, suggesting that a single common environmental factor is responsible for the disease.

Anencephaly and spina bifida are closely related to Anencephaly occurs when the neural tube fails to close at the base of the skull, while spina bifida occurs when the neural tube fails to close somewhere along the spine.

The prognosis of anencephaly is very poor. This being said, the new born usually dies soon. About 25% of children with anencephaly who live to the end of the pregnancy die during delivery; 50% have a life expectancy of between a few minutes and 1 day, 25% live up to 10 days. None survive longer than 10 days.

The diagnosis of anencephaly may be made during pregnancy or at birth by physical examination. The baby's head often appears flattened due to the abnormal brain development and missing bones of the skull. Doctors have many tests they can use to discover anencephaly early on.

Sources: Biology, 7th Ed.

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