Poor Antenatal Care Causes Birth Defects: Nigerian Pediatrician

Most birth defects are caused by poor antenatal care for expectant mothers, said Dr. Adekunle Ola, Paediatrician at the Federal Medical Center, Ebute Meta, Nigeria. Ola said that with proper antenatal care, some of the congenital heart diseases such as Ventricular Vestal defect and Arterial Septal defect can be detected for proper precautions to be taken.

“Other heart diseases that may occur include Tetralogy of Fallots, and Einsenmanger syndrome which can be corrected by surgery. This birth defects are often common in highly industrialized areas where people are exposed to undue radiation and reactive industrial agents. This diseases can be most common where there is a fall in radiation or chemical spray like what happened in Hiroshima and Nakarta in Japan where there was a chemical bombing during the second World War,” he said.

Congenital heart defects are issues in the heart’s structure that are present at birth. Congenital heart defects happen because of abnormal development of the foetus’ heart during the very early weeks of pregnancy.

“These birth defects usually occur during Embryomic division in the first three month of pregnancy during which the womb cells are divided. While heart defects can’t be prevented, it can be detected during good antenatal care though there may be no cure for it, the mother can well prepare ahead for it,” he added.



Source-Medindia