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Anencephaly is a congenital birth defect where parts of the brain, scalp, and skull are missing, leaving the baby without a forebrain. It is caused by a disturbance in the way the nervous system forms in a fetus and can be linked to genetics or a lack of folic acid in the mother’s diet. Most babies with anencephaly do not survive.
When a baby is developing in the womb, many things can happen that can lead to abnormal growth or development. One such type of abnormality is headache disorders. Headache disorders occur when there is a disturbance in the way the nervous system forms in a fetus and can be caused by a variety of conditions, including genetic, environmental, and hereditary. One of the more common of these headache disorders is called anencephaly.
Anencephaly is a congenital birth defect, which means it occurs before birth. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS), anencephaly usually occurs between days 23 and 26 of pregnancy and causes parts of the brain, scalp, and skull to be missing. This usually happens because the cephalic, otherwise known as the head end of the neural tube, does not close completely.
The effects of anencephaly are quite evident when the baby is born, as in many cases the baby’s brain tissue is left exposed due to a lack of bone or skin tissue to cover it. Severe cases of anencephaly leave the baby without a forebrain. Unfortunately, the forebrain is the area of the brain responsible for most of our senses, thoughts, and coordination. This leaves affected children unable to see, hear or move and usually leaves them completely unconscious.
According to the NINDS, between 1,000 and 2,000 babies with anencephaly are born each year in the United States. Unfortunately, most of these children will never fully gain consciousness. The cause of this ailment is still unknown. However, some scientists believe that the disorder may be caused by genetics or the mother’s diet. As for diet, doctors are starting to discover links between the disorder and a lack of folic acid during the first month of pregnancy, as the fetal nervous system begins to form. For this reason, doctors are starting to recommend that women old enough to have children consume at least 0.4 mg of folic acid each day. However, there is still much debate as to what exactly causes the ailment.
Most babies born with anencephaly do not survive. In fact, most babies with the disorder are stillborn. Those that survive birth usually live only a few hours, or a few days at most. Signs of anencephaly within a fetus can usually be discovered as early as the first ultrasound. Unfortunately, nothing can be done to fix or cure the ailment once it has occurred.
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