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The birth defects caused by the drug thalidomide can range from moderate malformation to more severe forms. Possible birth defects include phocomelia , dysmelia , amelia , bone hypoplasticity , and other congenital defects affecting the ear, heart, or internal organs. [ 40 ]
The birth defects caused by thalidomide led to the development of greater drug regulation and monitoring in many countries. [9] [11] It was approved in the United States in 1998 for use as a treatment for cancer. [6] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. [12] It is available as a generic medication. [8] [13]
The CDC and National Birth Defect Project studied the incidence of birth defects in the US. Key findings include: Down syndrome was the most common condition with an estimated prevalence of 14.47 per 10,000 live births, implying about 6,000 diagnoses each year.
Phocomelia is a congenital condition that involves malformations of human arms and legs which result in a flipper-like appendage. [1] [2] A prominent cause of phocomelia is the mother being prescribed the use of the drug thalidomide during pregnancy; however, the causes of most cases are to be determined.
Genetic disorders are present before birth, and some genetic disorders produce birth defects, but birth defects can also be developmental rather than hereditary. The opposite of a hereditary disease is an acquired disease. Most cancers, although they involve genetic mutations to a small proportion of cells in the body, are acquired diseases.
Birth Defects Research. Birth Defects Research is a peer-reviewed academic journal of birth defects published by Wiley on behalf of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention, which was established in 1960 as the Teratology Society. [1] It is in its 111th volume. [2] The editor is Michel Vekemans.
Teratology is the study of abnormalities of physiological development in organisms during their life span. It is a sub-discipline in medical genetics which focuses on the classification of congenital abnormalities in dysmorphology caused by teratogens. Teratogens are substances that may cause non-heritable birth defects via a toxic effect on an ...
Meromelia is a birth defect characterized by the lacking of a part, but not all, of one or more limbs with the presence of a hand or foot. It results in a shrunken and deformed extremity. It results in a shrunken and deformed extremity.