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“It is one of the most common birth defects”
New Delhi, February 27, 2018:
India has more than 72,000 children and adults with unrepaired cleft lip or cleft palate, as per a study. This number significantly highlights the unmet need for cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) care in India. Apart from this, infants in low and middle-income countries face significant barriers to treatment, leading to prolonged disfigurement, social stigma, speech impairment as well as trouble of feeding food that can result in malnutrition and death.
Cleft lip and palate are openings or splits in the upper lip, the roof of the mouth (palate) or both. These occur when facial structures that are developing in an unborn baby don’t close completely.
Speaking about this, Padma Shri Awardee Dr K K Aggarwal, President Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) and Immediate Past National President Indian Medical Association (IMA), said, “Cleft lip palate are among the most common birth defects. Although they occur as isolated birth defects mostly, they are also associated with many inherited genetic conditions or syndromes. However, these conditions can be corrected. In most babies, a series of surgeries can restore normal function and achieve a more normal appearance with minimal scarring.Normally, the tissues that make up the lip and palate fuse together in the second and third months of pregnancy. In babies with this condition, the fusion never takes place or occurs only part way, leaving an opening (cleft).”
Some signs and symptoms of submucous cleft palate may include difficulty with feeding; difficulty swallowing, with potential for liquids or foods to come out the nose; nasal speaking voice; and chronic ear infections.
Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, who is also the Vice President of CMAAO, said, “Cleft lip may be detected with ultrasound beginning around the 13th week of pregnancy. The goals of treatment for cleft lip and cleft palate are to improve the child’s ability to eat, speak and hear normally and to achieve a normal facial appearance.”
While many cases of cleft lip and cleft palate can’t be prevented, the following tips can lower the risk.
- If you have a family history of cleft lip and cleft palate, tell your doctor before you decide to conceive. He/she may refer you to a genetic counselor who can help determine your risk of having children with cleft lip and cleft palate.
- Take prenatal vitamins. If you’re planning to get pregnant soon, ask your doctor if you should take prenatal vitamins.
- Don’t use tobacco or alcohol. Use of alcohol or tobacco during pregnancy increases the risk of having a baby with a birth defect.
