The cleft lip is a congenital, treatable defect that occurs when the tissues of the nasal cavity and upper jaw do not grow together during the development of the fetus. As a result, a cleft is formed in the lip. The disease is formed as a result of a mutation of genes that are responsible for the maxillo-speech section of the skull. Mutations occur in the early stages of pregnancy, and the defect itself can be seen on ultrasound at 4 months of pregnancy.
Usually, the disease does not affect the general state of health, but in some cases sick children have problems with eating and speech disorders.
The disease most often captures part of the upper lip. Less commonly, this deviation appears on the lower lip. Also, with a cleft lip, the manifestation of a split sky is possible. These are the most common congenital malformations that are associated with the neck and head.
What causes a cleft lip?
Defect can be caused by environmental influences or by a hereditary factor. If a cleft lip was found in the parent at birth, then the risk of transmitting the disease to the child increases.
The threat of the disease increases if the mother during pregnancy abused antibiotics, was exposed to any kind of infection or radiation, smoked, took alcohol or drugs.
Symptoms of the disease
The disadvantage is visually determined at birth. In addition to the occurrence of a physical defect, the cleft lip no longer appears. Usually, during artificial or breastfeeding, such babies do not have problems. Difficulties begin with the transition of sick children to self-nutrition.
Deviation is determined at the time of the birth of the baby when his face is examined. Already at the first check of the infant for physical fullness, it is possible to establish whether there are deviations in the form of a split palate or cleft lip.
Sometimes it is possible to diagnose a disease using intrauterine ultrasound. But, this diagnosis does not give reliable results.
Features of cleft lip treatment
An effective treatment for the disease is surgery. If the child has a cleft lip, surgery is a must. The possibility of surgery depends on several factors: the opinions of the attending physician, the characteristics of the development of the disease, the state of health of the child. The majority of doctors are sure that the cleft lip should be adjusted between the ages of three months and six months. More precisely, the operation time is determined depending on the size and severity of the gap on the lip, the general condition of the child, as well as on the characteristics of the development of the baby, which are recorded by the doctor.
When choosing the type of surgical operation, aspects such as the degree of damage to the lip, the presence of any defects in the nose, and the detection of a cleft palate are taken into account . When the child grows up, if necessary, a correction is made to restore the function of speech or to eliminate the scar resulting from the operation.
The specificity and number of treatment courses depend on various aspects of health and on the presence of additional defects on the face. So, if a child has an irregularly shaped nose, then at a later age correction is necessary, both for aesthetic purposes and to improve respiratory function.
Specialists still cannot accurately answer the question: why are children with cleft lip born. Although this defect is sometimes inherited, but in most cases, the cause of its occurrence has not been established. Scientists conduct various studies, analyze the structure of genes, and study how the behavior and condition of the mother during pregnancy affects the unborn child: her diet and bad habits.