Identification and prevention of risk factors are important tools to prevent development of birth defectsaccording to the Coordinator of Clinical Genetics of the National Institute of Perinatology, Mónica Aguinaga Ríos.
He folic acid intake during the reproductive stage, especially before and during pregnancy, it is crucial to prevent congenital malformations.
However, the Quarterly Report of the Epidemiological Surveillance System of Birth Defects shows that the 32.5% of children born with cleft lip and palate have mothers who did not consume this nutrient or they did so after the first trimester of pregnancy.
The number of birth defects in the country during 2022 was 2,689 cases, which represents an incidence of 127.03 per 100,000 live newborns.
In Mexico, cleft lip and/or palate was the most frequent defect in mothers who consumed folic acid after the first trimester, while cleft lip and/or palate and anencephaly were the most common defects in mothers who did not consume folic acid. folic acid during pregnancy.
Prenatal care is essential to identify risk factors during pregnancy, such as maternal hyperthermia, gestational diabetes, and infections. The 2022 birth defects case report indicates that 9.5% of mothers presented maternal hyperthermia, 10.3% gestational diabetes, and 616 pregnant women had infections during pregnancy, the most frequent being urinary tract infection. .
In it prenatal medical control, abnormalities in the fetus or in the pregnancy process can be identified and the chances of premature birth reduced. Two important ultrasound scans that should be performed in units specialized in prenatal diagnosis are those at weeks 12 and 20 of gestation.
The morphological ultrasound at week 12 allows calculating the fetus’s risk of suffering from chromosomal abnormalities, such as trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) and trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome), while the ultrasound at week 20 can identify possible anatomical or in internal organs.
It is essential to strengthen prenatal control in all medical units in the country, reinforce and ensure adequate and timely consumption of folic acid, and guarantee early diagnosis and treatment of congenital defects.
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The identification and prevention of risk factors is the best way to avoid permanent disabilities in newborns and ensure a healthy life.
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