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Anencephaly Birth Defect
What is anencephaly?
Anencephaly is one of the most common neural tube defects. It is the absence of a large part of the brain and the skull when the upper part of the neural tube fails to close.
Anencephaly occurs in about one out of 10,000 births. However, the exact number is unknown because many pregnancies result in miscarriage. Having one infant with anencephaly increases the risk of having another child with neural tube defects.
What causes anencephaly birth defects?
Possible causes include environmental toxins and low or no intake of folic acid. Women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant should take the recommended daily dose of folic acid. Women of childbearing age who are pregnant or want to get pregnant need 400 to 800 mcg or micrograms of folic acid every day, even if you are not planning to get pregnant. Getting enough folic acid can reduce the chance of neural tube defects by 50 percent.
According to the March of Dimes, about 95% of babies born with neural tube defects have no family history of NTDs. Some seizure medications, such as valproic acid (brand Depakote) are associated with an increased risk as well as women with maternal diabetes, radiation exposure, and cigarette smoking.
Spina bifida is another neural tube defect. According to the Centers for Disease Control, women who are pregnant, or thinking about becoming pregnant, should know there are risks associated with using prescription painkillers.
What is the treatment for anencephaly?
Currently, there is no treatment. Anencephaly is usually detected during routine prenatal testing. This neural tube birth defect usually causes death within a few days.
If your baby died from anencephaly, please contact the personal injury law firm Anapol Schwartz. If you took dangerous drugs like anti-seizure medication or painkillers during your pregnancy you may qualify for a lawsuit against the maker of these drugs.