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In the United States, approximately 1 out of 10,000 to 20,000 babies are born with anencephaly each year. In 2007, our daughter Lyla was one of those born with this incurable condition.
Anencephaly is a cephalic disorder that results from a neural tube defect that occurs when the cephalic (head) end of the neural tube fails to close. A baby born with anencephaly is usually blind, deaf, unconscious, and unable to feel pain. Although some individuals with anencephaly may be born with a main brain stem, the lack of a functioning cerebrum permanently rules out the possibility of ever gaining consciousness. Reflex actions such as breathing and responses to sound or touch may occur. This blog aims to provide information and support for parents facing a diagnosis of anencephaly and for those grieving the loss of a child.
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Saturday, 04 April 2009 21:45 |
Throughout life our brains undergo more changes than any other part of the body. These can be broadly divided into five stages, each profoundly affecting our abilities and behavior. If you consider the size of the construction job at hand – 100 billion brain cells and several million support cells in four major lobes and tens of distinct regions – it is a truly staggering feat of evolutionary engineering.
One nutrient we know the brain needs early on is folic acid. Deficiencies can lead to defects like spina bifida, where part of the spine grows outside the body, and anencephaly, a fatal condition in which much of the brain fails to develop. There’s some evidence that vitamin B12 deficiency has similar effects. Link |
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Sunday, 22 March 2009 11:44 |
In 2007, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that the use of antidepressants in the first 3 months of pregnancy more than doubles the risk of craniosynostosis (premature closure of the connections between the bones of the skull before brain growth is complete), omphalocele (the child's abdomen does not close properly allowing intestines and other organs to protrude outside the body), and anencephaly (birth without forebrain). Read more on antidepressants and birth defects...
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Tuesday, 03 March 2009 22:38 |
Maternal obesity has also been linked to the development of congenital anomalies, such as neural tube defects, spina bifida, heart defects, cleft lip and palate, and anencephaly (a defect in brain development). Birth defects are a leading cause of still birth and infant mortality, causing as many as one in five infant deaths in the United States, according to background information in the study.
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Tuesday, 03 March 2009 22:34 |
Ljungan virus (LV) has been found in cases of hydrocephaly and anencephaly when examined by immunohistochemistry and PCR. The association of LV with hydrocephaly and anencephaly suggests that LV may be playing an important role in central nervous system malformations in humans.
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Tuesday, 03 March 2009 00:00 |
Pregnant women who don't get enough vitamin B-12 may have a greater risk of delivering a baby with birth defects, a study shows. In a study of nearly 1,200 women in today's Pediatrics, women with the lowest B-12 levels were five times as likely to have a baby with a neural tube defect compared with mothers with the highest levels.
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