William Atkins
Tuesday, 27 May 2008 21:17
Science -
Biology
Page 1 of 2
According to an AIHW report released May 14, 2008, male babies born between 2002 and 2003 had more birth defects (congenital anomalies) than female babies in Australia.
The report “
Congenial anomalies in Australia 2002-2003 ,” is part of a larger series on congenital anomalies in Australia. The report is produced by the
National Perinatal Statistics Unit of the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), a part of the Australian government.
The report presents information on thirty-three different birth defects, what the report called congenital anomalies.
For many conditions present at birth, boys are reported to have more congenital anomalies than girls.
Specifically, male babies show a congenital anomaly 59% of the time, while female babies are reported with such anomalies at a rate of 41%.
According to the report, boys were found to have the condition hypospadia, which is the abnormal positioning of the urinary opening in the male urethra, more frequently than any other of the 33 reported congenital anomalies.
Abnormalities that were found commonly in both males and females are kidney cysts, oesophageal defects, Down syndrome, and heart diseases.
Oesophageal (esophageal) defects are problems with the esophagus (called commonly the gullet), an organ that consist of a muscular tube by which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach.
Down syndrome is an abnormality in chromosomes, in particular, the presence of a part or whole 21st chromosome. It causes cognitive impairment and limited physical growth.
Conditions also included in the report are: neural tube defects (such as spina bifida), limb defects, and cleft lip and palate.
As a group called neural tube defects (NTDs), these conditions are reported in about ten out of 10,000 pregnancies in Australia.
NTDs occur within embryos when a problem occurs with the closure of the neural tube, usually occurring around the 28th day after fertilization. The neural tube is the precursor to an adult's central nervous system, which consists primarily of the brain and spinal cord.
For a listing of the thirty-three conditions and additional information from the AIHW, please turn to the next page.
