Types of Birth Defects

A birth defects list will tell you about the structural or functional abnormalities that are present in children in birth. These will cause them to have either a physical or mental disability. Today there are thousands of different birth defects that researchers know about. Some of the more common ones are as follows. Structural birth defects have to do with a person's body parts. They include such things such as cleft lip, cleft palate, heart defects (i.e. missing or misshaped valves), abnormal limbs (i.e. a club foot), neural tube defects (i.e. spina bifida), as well as problems that are related to the growth and development of the brain and spinal cord.

Degenerative disorders are conditions that are not obvious at birth but that will cause some of the aspects of a person's health to steadily worsen. For instance, X-ALD (X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy) was showcased in the movie "Lorenzo's Oil." Others include Rett syndrome, muscular dystrophy, and lysosomal disorders.

Nervous system problems or brain problems include such things as learning disabilities, mental retardation, behavioral disorders, speech or language difficulties, convulsions, and movement trouble. Some examples of this type of a birth defect include Autism, Down syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome and Fragile X syndrome.

Metabolic disorders affect the way in which your body works or how a chemical pathway or reaction occurs. These conditions will limit your body's ability to get rid of harmful chemicals such as waste material. Two of the most common metabolic disorders are PKU (phenylketonuria) and hypothyroidism.

Sensory problems will affect your senses (i.e. smell, taste, sight, hearing, feeling). The most common birth defects that effect your sight include blindness and cataracts. There are also various degrees of hearing loss and deafness that fall within this category.