What causes so many cleft palate?

Cleft lip and cleft palate result when facial structures that are developing in an unborn baby don't close completely. Cleft lip and cleft palate are among the most common birth defects. They most commonly occur as isolated birth defects but are also associated with many inherited genetic conditions or syndromes.

What is the main cause of cleft palate?

A cleft lip or palate happens when the structures that form the upper lip or palate fail to join together when a baby is developing in the womb. The exact reason why this happens to some babies is often unclear. It's very unlikely to have been caused by anything you did or did not do during pregnancy.

Can you prevent a cleft palate?

You can't always prevent cleft lip and cleft palate in your baby. But there are things you can do to help reduce your baby's chances of having these birth defects: Take folic acid. Before pregnancy, take a multivitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid in it every day.

Does cleft palate is hereditary?

The causes of cleft lip and cleft palate (or both) are unknown, although hereditary (genetic) factors sometimes play a small role. A cleft lip or cleft palate (or both) is not caused by anything the parents did or did not do during the pregnancy.

What are the chances of having a baby with cleft lip?

Cleft lip and cleft palate are the 4th most common congenital disorder in the United States: About 1 in every 1,600 babies is born with cleft lip with cleft palate in the U.S. About 1 in every 2,800 babies is born with cleft lip without cleft palate in the U.S.

Explaining Cleft Lip and Palate (1 of 7)

Is cleft lip caused by inbreeding?

Cleft lip and cleft palate are thought to be caused by a combination of genes and other factors, such as things the mother comes in contact with in her environment, or what the mother eats or drinks, or certain medications she uses during pregnancy.

Does folic acid prevent cleft palate?

A new study finds that women who take folic acid supplements early in their pregnancy can substantially reduce their baby's chances of being born with a facial cleft.

What syndrome is associated with cleft palate?

Velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS) is the syndrome most commonly associated with a cleft palate, most usually cleft of the soft palate. A cleft lip may also occur.

Is cleft palate more common in males or females?

Cleft lip and palate is a common birth defect. It occurs together in 1 of every 1,000 babies, somewhat more in males than females. About 20% have the cleft lip only, 30% have cleft palate only, and 50% of children with a cleft lip will also have a cleft palate.

What gene causes cleft lip?

Mutations in the HYAL2 gene responsible for CLP

Hyaluronan is a carbohydrate polymer usually found in connective tissue and the hard palate. Researchers performed enzyme assays, which revealed that the mutations reduced the levels of the HYAL2 protein.

Does a vitamin deficiency cause cleft palate?

A deficiency of each of the individual B vitamins is teratogenic, however total B group deficiency has the strongest effect in the case of deficiency of all B vitamins. This produces up to 25% cleft palates in the NMRI strain.

What increases risk of cleft palate?

Parents with a family history of cleft lip or cleft palate face a higher risk of having a baby with a cleft. Exposure to certain substances during pregnancy. Cleft lip and cleft palate may be more likely to occur in pregnant women who smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol or take certain medications. Having diabetes.

Can you test for cleft palate during pregnancy?

Cleft palate and cleft lip can be detected in-utero (before birth). If an ultrasound reveals your baby has these conditions, a treatment plan can be developed even before the child is born. Pregnant women should not smoke or expose themselves to second-hand smoke.

Can alcohol cause cleft palate?

No significant association was found between alcohol use and isolated cleft palate or clefts in children with multiple birth defects. Alcohol use during pregnancy may be a cause of isolated cleft lip with or without cleft palate.

Is there a link between cleft palate and autism?

Results: Children with cleft lip (CL) had a significantly higher risk of any psychiatric disorder, intellectual disability, and language disorders; children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) had, in addition, an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

What country is cleft palate most common?

According to most recent data, the highest total rates of CLP were reported in Venezuela (38 cases/10,000 births), Iran (36 cases/10,000 births) and Japan (30 cases/10,000 births).

What race has the most cleft palate?

Although cleft lip with or without cleft palate can occur in any race, there is a higher incidence in people of Asian, Native American or Hispanic decent.

Can ultrasound detect cleft lip?

Cleft lip may be detected with ultrasound beginning around the 13th week of pregnancy. As the fetus continues developing, it may be easier to accurately diagnose a cleft lip. Cleft palate that occurs alone is more difficult to see using ultrasound.

Does cleft palate affect the brain?

Cognitive deficits in syndromic clefting are frequent and often severe (mental retardation). The cognitive deficits associated with isolated clefts of the lip and/or palate (ICLP) are less severe, but the functional consequences of these deficits should not be underestimated.

What celebrities had a cleft palate?

Why do so many children in 3rd world countries have cleft palate?

Most cleft palates seem to be caused by environmental factors that increase a mother's risk of giving birth to a child with a cleft palate.

What foods cause cleft palate?

The Western dietary pattern, eg, high in meat, pizza, legumes, and potatoes, and low in fruits, was associated with a higher risk of a cleft lip or cleft palate (odds ratio 1.9; 95% confidence interval 1.2-3.1).

Can lack of folic acid cause cleft lip?

Lack of folic acid early in pregnancy is known to cause neural tube defects such as spina bifida, but this is the first study ever to show a strong association between maternal folic acid intake and the risk of a baby developing cleft lip and cleft palate.

Why is cleft lip more common in males?

Compared to females, clefts in males more commonly occur in both the early and late embryonic periods are therefore more often combined clefts of the primary and secondary palate, and are more frequently the result of differentiation defects and combined fusion and differentiation defects.

Can smoking cause cleft palate?

A new report from the U.S. Surgeon General confirms that smoking during pregnancy causes babies to be born with cleft lip and cleft palate. “We now have confirmation that smoking during pregnancy can damage the health of both mothers and babies.