Causative Agents of birth defects(teratogen)

A baby delivered with a defect or other health challenges, may need special care at birth and later in life. It's possible to be worried and have lots of questions when faced with such experience.

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Birth defects are simply the health conditions that are present at birth. They changes the function or shape of one or more parts of the child's body. It can also lead to overall health problems, how the body develops and how the body works.read

But the good news is that it can be prevented by having the knowledge of what causes them and possibly avoid them.

Below are the causative substances and Agents that can possible lead to birth defects and mal-functions:

Substances	Effects
Alcohol	Alcoholic substances leads to child’s Cognitive impairments, heart problems, and facial malformations.
Caffeine	High consumption of caffeine can lead to Premature birth, lower birth rate, and miscarriage. The data on caffeine are some-how confusing and sometimes mixed, So (more than three cups per day) is generally discouraged.
Tobacco	(WHO) estimates that each year tobacco causes about 6 million deaths (about 10% of all deaths) Similarly, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes tobacco use as "the single most important preventable risk to human health in developed countries and an important cause of premature death, increased Infants mortality and retarded growth worldwide. Read

Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications

Taking over-the-counter pain medications during early pregnancy can slightly increase the risk of certain rare birth defects, according to research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Such Medications includes:

(1) Aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID)

Research had it that infants who were 3 times as likely to be born with eye defects such as anophthalmia and microphthalmia can be as a result of aspirin or naproxen taken by their mother. the risk of amniotic band syndrome, a condition that causes malformations such as clubfoot, was also 3 times higher among women who had used painkillers during their pregnancy.[read](Research http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002937811023490)

Also Bleeding, miscarriage, possible cardiovascular problems. are more likely to occur when these medicines are taken in large quantities.

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(2.) Diethylstilbestrol (DES)

DES (diethylstilbestrol) is a man-made (synthetic) form of estrogen, a female hormone. It was prescribed by the Doctors at the late 1938 until 1971 to help some pregnant women who had the problem of miscarriages and premature deliveries. As of that time it was believed that these problems might have been as a result of low levels of estrogen in the woman’s body. So DES was introduced to correct this problem. It was given to millions of women in the United States at that time.

Not until 1960s that the use of DES was greatly reduced, after studies has showed that it might not help women carry pregnancies till the matured period.

Later, it became obvious that infants whose mothers took DES during the first 5 months of pregnancy were more likely to have problems in their reproductive systems. Such as Vaginal abnormalities, vaginal and cervical cancer in females; genital-tract abnormalities in males.read

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(3.) Phenytoin

Phenytoin is also known as: Di-Phen, Dilantin, Phenytek, Phenytoin Sodium.

Phenytoin is a medication mostly used to treat epilepsy (seizure disorder). If phenytoin is taken by the mother in the first trimester, there is approximately a 5 to 10 percent chance that the baby could be born with a combination of birth defects known as the Fetal Hydantoin Syndrome.

More so, Babies with this syndrome may be born with some of the following health problems:read

• Retarded Growth
• Developmental delay
• Cleft palate
• Certain facial characteristics
• Heart defects
• facial malformations
• Genitourinary abnormalities
• Abnormalities of the fingers and nails.

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(4) Retinoic acid or accutane (Retin-A)

At the time FDA, Food and Drug Administration, approved Accutane, they actually knew it's potential side effects during pregnancy and for pregnant women. Products containing Accutane or retinoic acid were not recommended for pregnancies and was placed on the category X list for pregnancies. Based on such category description, under no circumstances should products labeled within category X be used during pregnancy.

Among the list of known side effects are: hydrocephaly, microcephaly, mental retardation, ear deformities, cleft lip or palate, missing ears, defects of the heart,. impaired kidney function, neural-tube defects, psychological problems. deformities of the face and lowered IQ.read

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(5.) Tetracycline

Tetracycline is a medicine regarded as an antibiotic. Antibiotics are used to treat or prevent certain types of infections caused by the germs called bacteria.

Tetracycline has been assigned to pregnancy category D by the Food and Drugs Administration.

Also Animal studies have shown the evidence of embryotoxicity and teratogenicity, including toxic effects on skeletal formation. Though There are no controlled data in human pregnancy.

However, congenital defects and maternal hepatotoxicity have been reported. When used during the second half of pregnancy.

tetracyclines may leads to: permanent yellow-gray-brown discoloration of the teeth and enamel hypoplasia problems with bone growth.Thalidomide Deformed limbs, damage to internal organs, and possibly death.The use of tetracycline during pregnancy is generally prohibited, especially during the last half of pregnancy.see here

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(6.)Trimethadione
Trimethadione belongs to a group of drugs called antiepileptics, which work by decreasing abnormal electrical activity or seizure in the brain.

This medication comes in a chewable tablet form and meant to be taken 3 or 4 times a day, with or without food.
This drug can harm a developing fetus. it can also lead to developmental delays, irregular teeth, low-set ears, V-shaped eyebrows.

Warning: Women of childbearing potential should only use adequate contraception while taking this drug. More

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Environmental Agents

The table Below shows the environmental agents that can possible lead to birth defects especially when an expectant mothers get overly expose to them.

Environmental Agents	effects
Arsenic	Miscarriage, stillbirth.
Lead	Mental retardation, miscarriage, anemia.
Mercury	Unpredictable mutations, mental retardation, motor problems.
(PCBs	retarded Growth
Pesticides	Various cancers, reproductive problems.
Radiation	Impaired physical growth, mental retardation, childhood leukemia, cancers later in life, miscarriage.

Caution: please am not a medical practitioner. all the provided information is as a result of personal research. Thanks for reading. Upvote and Resteem

Reference

http://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/birth-defects-and-health-conditions.aspx

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_tobacco

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002937811023490

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002937811023490

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/medical-treatments/des-exposure.html

http://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/phenytoin-dilantin

https://www.drugs.com/pregnancy/tetracycline.html

http://www.ndrugs.com/s=trimethadione&t=pregnancy