Anencephaly

Anencephaly is a type of birth defect that is fatal and can’t be reversed, unfortunately. However, the risk of it can be reduced by taking good care of health.

Anencephaly

Anencephaly is a birth defect that causes the baby to be born with missing parts of the brain and skull.

Anencephaly is a type of neural tube defect, and it’s a common one. The baby in this case typically lives for minutes, hours, or days. Adding to that, most cases of anencephaly result in miscarriage or stillbirth.

Causes and risk factors of anencephaly

• The neural tube is responsible for the development of the brain, skull, spinal cord, and backbones, and when it doesn’t develop as it’s supposed to in the first month of pregnancy, this affects the nervous system, which consists of the brain, nerves, and spine. Anencephaly occurs when the upper part of the neural tube doesn’t close throughout the embryonic development.
• The risk of anencephaly increases due to the following factors: folic acid deficiency during pregnancy, diabetes, using opioids, and taking certain medications, such as anti-seizure medications, bipolar disorder medications, and migraine medications.

Symptoms of anencephaly

Signs of anencephaly during pregnancy are seen through different tests and include:

• Missing parts of the skull and brain, exposed areas of brain tissue, or smaller head size.
• Too much fluid in the amniotic sac.
• Elevated levels of alpha-fetoprotein, which is a fetal protein, from a blood test of a sample of amniotic fluid of the mother.

Diagnosis of anencephaly

• Imaging tests.
• Blood tests.
• Amniocentesis.

Treatment of anencephaly

• There isn’t a treatment for anencephaly because the baby will die shortly after birth.
• The risk of anencephaly can be reduced by taking enough folic acid during pregnancy and taking good care of health.