DISCUSSION ON CONGENITAL MALFORMATIONS ON THE FACE AN HEAD OF NEW BORN BABIES

Congenital malformations continue to be a problem to researchers and expectant mothers. This research work revealed among others a high Incidence of low birth babies.

An eating style of eating freshly prepared food only in the evenings and eating the left over in the morning suggest that many nutrients such as amino acids required for DNA processes are lacking.

Women are often forbidden from eating certain parts of eggs and meat with the belief that eating eggs during pregnancy will make the woman put to a steal birth.

          Many factors could be used to explain the rise in the incident of malformations in children. This can be classified into Social and Biological factors.

Socially: most pregnant mothers are illiterates when they are pregnant, they do not make use of ANTI-NATAL and POST NATAL clinics. The negligence of this medical care can cause a lot of malformations to the child. Illiteracy leads to early marriage among the teenagers, as the teenage girls are not yet or fully developed within their pelvic region. (Ibrahim, 1981)

      Most pregnant mothers do take drugs without doctor’s prescription; they are ignorant of the outcome. Pregnant women are more exposed to several teratogenic effects during this stage. Turn Bull (1993)

Notable among this drugs include Thalidomide, which is characterized by deformities of the limb, a condition known as phocomelia. Other drugs include Anticonvulsant and Hypnotic drugs. (Lenz, 2002; Soners, 2002; Weicker and Hunger land, 2002).

      Smoking and alcoholic drinks can also cause malformation and there is an increase rate of second trimester spontaneous abortion with women who takes alcoholic drinks. Alcoholic drink can cause reproductive and sexual dysfunction in male and infertility in females Smith and Ach (1987)

    Alcohol ingestion during pregnancy produces the fetal Alcohol Syndrome. (FAS) This is characterized with facial neurological perturbations which is associated with mothers only. (Hills and Tennyson, 1986)

     Biological factors include malformations: Common practice like trekking long distance to farms and other villages may be responsible for many physical defects observed in newborn of these areas. Engagement in farming by pregnant women contributes to physical malformation by the contraction of the uterine walls, even though it may act as an exercise. (Chamberlain and Turnbull, 1993)

       Infections, under Biological factors can also cause malformations. This can come from unsafe drinking water and unsafe life style. (Chamberlain and Turnbull 1993) Reported that virus that colonize the female genital tract, crosses over to the placenta to infect the still immune deficient fetus.

CONCLUSION

      The method of keeping records in the various Hospitals is how ever questionable and the attitudes of the staff towards preservation and safe keeping of records is unethical.

   There should be a body dedicated to monitoring and safe guarding the records obtained.