A rare, inherited disorder in which no melanin, a dark brown pigment, is formed. Children with albinism have white hair, pale skin, and pink eyes. Often they also have abnormal vision and involuntary eye movements (nystagmus).
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A condition in which the number of red blood cells or the amount of hemoglobin (the protein that carries oxygen) in them is low. Anemia is usually detected or confirmed with a complete blood cell (CBC) count. The most common causes are iron deficiency due to inadequate iron in the baby's diet or excessive blood loss. |
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A disorder that affects a child's movement and posture and does not worsen over time. |
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The most common defects of the skull and face are cleft lip and cleft palate. These defects result from the failure of the upper lip or the roof or the mouth to close during fetal development. Cleft lip and palate can be on one side (unilateral) or on both sides (bilateral). The defects usually occur together and affect about one in every 600-700 births. Surgical repair is needed to close the lip and palate. Eating and speech development are the biggest concerns.
China defines clefts on the basis of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degrees.
- 1st degree cleft lip: only red lip is dehiscent
- 2nd degree cleft lip: cleft is over red lip but not arrived in the bottom of nose
- 3rd degree cleft lip: cleft is from red lip to the bottom of nose
1st degree cleft lip and 2nd degree cleft lip are called incomplete cleft lip. 3rd degree cleft lip is called complete cleft lip.
- 1st degree cleft palate: soft palate fissure
- 2nd degree cleft palate: uranostaphyloschisis, fissure of hard and soft palate
- 3rd degree cleft palate: complete cleft palate, including alveolar process fissure
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A birth deformity in which the foot/feet are twisted out of the normal position. The arch of the foot may be very high, or the foot may be turned inward or outward. Early treatment with casting may be beneficial, but correctable surgery is generally needed. |
A condition in which an arm or leg or parts of an arm or leg are missing. The cause is often unknown. Children often become very adept at using the affected limb and modern prosthetics can make the limb more functional.
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Cloudy opacities in the lens of the eye that are present at birth. These may be caused by chromosomal abnormalities, infections such as measles, or other diseases that the birthmother may have had. Surgical removal is necessary for the child to develop normal vision. |
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Congenital Dislocated Hip |
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Condition where a newborn's thighbone (femur) is separated from the hip socket. Sometimes double or triple diapering may position the infant to correct the problem. If not, splints or orthopedic surgery may be needed. |
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Approximately one in 120 infants are born with a heart defect, many of which are not severe. Congenital heart defects may involve abnormal formation of the walls of the heart, the valves or the blood vessels that enter or leave the heart. Following are descriptions of some of the more common heart defects. *
- Patent Ductus Arteriosus- While in the womb, much of a fetus' blood goes through a passageway (ductus arteriosus) from one blood vessel to another instead of to the lungs, because the lungs are not yet in use. The passageway should close soon after birth, so the blood can take the normal route from heart to lungs and back. If it doesn't close, blood doesn't flow correctly. This problem occurs most frequently in premature babies. In some cases, drug treatment can help close the passageway. If that doesn't work, surgery can close it.
- Septal Defects- If the defect is a hole in the wall (septum) that divides the two upper or two lower chambers, the blood can't circulate as it should and the heart has to work too hard. A surgeon can close the hole by sewing or patching it. Small holes may heal by themselves or not need repair at all.
- Coarctation of the Aorta- Part of the aorta, the large artery that sends blood from the heart to the rest of the body, may be too narrow for the blood to flow evenly. A surgeon can cut away the narrow part and sew the open ends together, replace the constricted section with man-made material or patch it with part of a blood vessel taken from elsewhere in the body. Sometimes this narrowed area can be widened by inflating a balloon on the tip of a catheter inserted in an artery.
- Heart Valve Abnormalities- Some babies are born with heart valves that are narrowed, closed or blocked and prevent blood from flowing smoothly. Surgeons usually can repair the valves or replace them with man-made ones. Balloons on catheters are frequently used as well, making surgery unnecessary.
- Tetralogy of Fallot- A combination of four heart defects keeps some blood from getting to the lungs for oxygen, and the baby becomes blue and sickly. New surgical techniques allow early repair of this complex heart defect, so that most affected children live normal or near-normal lives.
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A developmental delay occurs when a child has the delayed achievement of one or more of his milestones. This may affect the child's speech and language, his fine and gross motor skills and/or his personal and social skills. |
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