Recent studies have shown that pregnant women who are obese are more likely to have babies with rare but serious birth defects, including spina bifida, heart anomalies, cleft palate, and hydrocephaly, according to a New York Times article. Massachusetts attorney Thomas M. Kiley, concentrates on legal issues associated with birth defects.

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Infant Birth Defects: Studies Link Defects to Obese Mothers

Recent studies have shown that pregnant women who are obese are more likely to have babies with rare but serious birth defects, including spina bifida, heart anomalies, cleft palate, and hydrocephaly, according to a New York Times article. Massachusetts attorney Thomas M. Kiley, http://www.tomkileylaw.com, concentrates on legal issues associated with birth defects and birth injury.

According to the article, research recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association analyzed 39 earlier studies and found that the risk of spina bifida was 2.2 times higher for babies of obese mothers, compared to babies born to normal birth weight mothers. The research also found that the risk of other neural tube infant defects was 1.8 times higher. These babies also faced increases in risk for heart defects, stunted limbs, a congenital malformation of the anal opening, and hydrocephaly, also called water on the brain.

Senior author of the study and researcher at the Institute of Health and Society at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, Judith Rankin, said in the report that researchers were surprised at the range of birth defects that were found to have an increased risk in mothers who were obese. Previously, researchers had found that neural tube defects and some heart anomalies were associated with obese mothers.

According to the article, women who are planning a pregnancy are advised to take folic acid supplements even before conception, to reduce the risk of potentially serious neural tube defects, including spina bifida. Dr. Rankin also suggested that insulin resistance and undiagnosed diabetes, rather than insufficient folic acid, may be causing birth defects among babies born to obese women, though the precise mechanism is not known.

The Center for Disease Control reports that birth defects affect about one in every 33 babies born in the United States each year. They are the leading cause of infant deaths, accounting for more than 20% of all infant deaths. Babies born with birth defects have a greater chance of illness and long term disability than babies without birth defects.

The Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1998 authorized the CDC to (1) collect, analyze, and make available data on birth defects; (2) operate regional centers for applied epidemiologic research on the prevention of birth defects; and (3) inform and educate the public about the prevention of birth defects.

As part of the CDC, the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) promotes the health of babies, children, and adults, and enhances the potential for full, productive living. This work includes identifying the causes of and preventing birth defects and developmental disabilities, helping children to develop and reach their full potential, and promoting health and well-being among people of all ages with disabilities.

The Birth Defects Research for Children provides resources for free birth defect information, parent networking and birth defect research through the National Birth Defect Registry.

The National Birth Defect Registry is a research project designed through a collaboration of seven prominent scientists. The registry collects information on all categories of structural and functional birth defects as well as the health, genetic and environmental exposure histories of the mothers and fathers of these children. According to the website, the registry data have identified patterns of birth defects in the children of Vietnam and Gulf War Veterans. The registry has also helped detect clusters of birth defects in communities with toxic environmental exposures and in the children of mothers exposed to certain medications during pregnancy. Registry data have been presented to numerous government agencies and in many national and international media forums.

The National Birth Defect Registry matches families of children with similar birth defects so they can support each other. A newsletter, Birth Defect News, keeps families informed on birth defect issues on a monthly basis through e-mail. The Health Baby Resource provides comprehensive current information on how to have a healthier baby.

The resources provided include information on preventing infections during pregnancy, the effects of smoking on babies, medications and pregnancy, and the role of genetic factors and genetic disorders and prevention of birth defects from these conditions.

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