Cleft lip: symptoms, causes, treatment, etc. & bull; hello healthy

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Definition

What is a cleft lip?

Cleft lip or cleft lip is a birth defect in which the parts of the face that make up the separate upper lip do not fuse together before birth. A similar gap can occur in the roof of the mouth.

The presence of a gap in the sky or on the lips can occur simultaneously in one baby. This condition occurs at the beginning of the formation of the fetus. Defects can be genetic or the result of exposure to the environment during pregnancy.

Having a child with this lip condition might be a little worrying. Fortunately, this condition can still be treated with surgery and other medical measures.

How common is this condition?

Cleft lip is one of the most common forms of birth defects. The incidence rate is mostly found in male sex than female.

The risk of parents with cleft-lipped children returning to have children with the same condition is 4%.

To find out more information about this disease, you can consult a doctor.

Signs & symptoms

What are the signs and symptoms of cleft lip?

Usually, a cleft in the lip or palate is immediately visible at birth. Launching from the Mayo Clinic, cleft lip can appear as:

• Clefts on the lips and roof of the mouth that can affect one or both sides of the face.
• Clefts on the lips that can be seen as an incision on the lip or can range from the lip through the upper gums and palate to the bottom of the nose.
• Cleft in the roof of the mouth that does not affect the appearance of the face.

Sometimes, the cleft occurs only in the muscle of the soft palate (cleft in the submucosa palate), which is located at the back of the mouth and is covered by the lining of the mouth.

This type of cleft often goes undetected at birth and may go undiagnosed until signs appear. Signs and symptoms of submucosal palate may include:

• Difficulty swallowing
• Voice speaking from the nose (nasal voice)
• Recurrent ear infections

There may be signs and symptoms not listed above. If you have concerns about a particular symptom, consult your doctor.

When should I see a doctor?

Cleft lip usually appears at birth, and doctors will immediately begin arranging treatment.

If your baby has signs and symptoms of a cleft in the submucosa, such as difficulty breastfeeding, schedule an appointment with the pediatrician.

Cause

What causes cleft lip?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cleft lip occurs because the baby's face and mouth are not properly formed from the time they are still in the womb.

In general, the tissue that makes the lips and palate fuse at the 2nd month or 5 weeks of gestation or the 3rd or 9th week of gestation.

However, in infants with this condition, the union does not occur and leaves an opening (cleft).

According to experts, most cases of lip defects are caused by genetic factors and environmental factors. However, in many babies, the exact cause is still unknown.

Parents can inherit the gene that causes lip pox, either in the form of its own genes or part of a genetic syndrome that causes lip defects.

In some cases, sufferers who have inherited genes are prone to deformities on the lips. In addition, environmental factors may also contribute to the appearance of this disorder.

Risk factors

What are the factors that increase the risk of cleft lip?

Cleft lip is a condition that can be suffered by anyone, of all ages and races. However, there are several factors that can increase a person's risk of developing cleft lip.

Having any or all of the risk factors does not mean you will have a cleft lip.

There is also a low chance that you or your child will still have cleft lip, even if you don't have any of the risk factors.

The following are risk factors that trigger this condition:

1. Gender

The incidence of cleft lip is more common in infants and children who are male than female.

2. Descendants of family members

If anyone in your family has suffered from cleft lip from birth, your risk of having a baby with this condition is higher.

3. Exposure to certain substances during pregnancy

Lip defects from birth may also be associated with exposure to harmful substances during pregnancy. These dangerous substances include cigarette smoke, alcoholic beverages, or certain drugs.

4. Have diabetes

Some experts believe that women who are diagnosed with diabetes before becoming pregnant may have an increased risk of developing cleft lip.

5. Have excess weight or obesity

There is some evidence that being overweight or obese can increase a woman's chances of having a baby with a cleft lip.

Complications

What are the complications caused by this condition?

Children who have a cleft lip and are accompanied by a cleft palate will face several challenges in life.

However, this depends on the type and severity of this condition. Here are some complications from cleft lip:

1. Difficulty eating

One of the problems to worry about after birth with this condition is how to eat.

Most babies with cleft lip can still breastfeed, but this condition is more difficult for babies with cleft palates. This then makes it difficult for the baby to eat.

2. Ear infection

Babies born with this condition have a risk of developing more ear fluid than normal.

That way, there is a high chance of infection and hearing loss.

3. Problems with teeth

If the cleft extends to the upper gum, the dentition of the baby and child may experience some problems.

4. Difficulty speaking

Because the shape of the lips is different from normal human lips, babies and children may have difficulty developing normal speech.

5. Susceptible to stress

Children who have this condition may experience social, emotional, and behavioral problems because they often undergo different kinds of intensive care.

In addition, children can also experience insecurity because they feel different from other normal children.

Diagnosis & Treatment

How is cleft lip diagnosed?

Most of these conditions can be recognized immediately at birth. Therefore, this condition does not require a special diagnosis or test.

However, as technology develops, doctors can now see whether your future baby will be born with a cleft lip or not. The trick is to use ultrasound during pregnancy.

An ultrasound test is a test that uses sound waves to create an image of the developing fetus in the abdomen. When analyzing the images, the doctor will check for any abnormalities in the baby's facial structure.

Defects on the lips can generally be detected by ultrasound at the 13th week of pregnancy. If an ultrasound shows any abnormalities in the structure of your lips, your doctor will take a sample of amniotic fluid from your uterus (amniocentesis).

The fluid will be checked in the laboratory to find out if the fetus has a genetic syndrome that causes birth defects.

What are the treatments for cleft lip?

Nobody wants birth defects in babies. When you find out that your baby has cleft lip, this condition can cause an emotional atmosphere for the whole family.

Lip repair surgery is performed depending on your child's condition. After surgery, the doctor will recommend additional surgeries or follow up to improve the way children speak.

The following is a sequence of cleft lip surgery procedures:

1. Explanation to parents
2. 3 months old (rule over ten): lip surgery and analation, evaluation of the ear
3. Age 10-12 months: palato or cleft palate surgery and evaluation of hearing and ears
4. Age 1-4 years: evaluation of speech and speech therapy after three months postoperatively
5. Age 4 years: consider repalatoraphy or pharyngoplasty
6. Age 6 years: evaluation of teeth and jaw and evaluation of hearing
7. Age 9-10 years: alveolar bone graft or alveolar bone graft is an operation to add bone to the gums in children with cleft lip and palate
8. Age 12-13 years: corrections if needed
9. Age 17 years: evaluation of the facial bones

The operation will begin with the administration of anesthesia, so that the child will not feel pain and will not wake up in the middle of the operation. Some of the techniques performed during lip surgery are:

1. Cleft lip repair

To close the cleft lip, the doctor will cut both sides of the lips and remove certain tissue.

The tissue will be sutured, including the mouth muscles. This improvement is expected to form a normal lip appearance and function properly.

2. Operation ear tube

Surgery is performed to reduce the risk of developing chronic ear infections and hearing loss.

Surgery is usually performed by inserting a tube into the ear to prevent fluid buildup.

3. Lip, mouth, and nose repair surgery

In some cases, mouth, lip and nose reconstruction surgery is necessary to improve the appearance of the sufferer.

Surgical procedures can help your child feel more confident about their appearance. The child will feel an improvement in quality of life, and will be able to walk, talk, or breathe normally.

Some of the complications and side effects of smoking are internal bleeding, infection, prolonged recovery, wounds and damage to the nervous system.

Prevention

How can I prevent cleft lip?

After a baby is born with a gap, it's natural for parents to have concerns that when they have children they have the same condition.

While cleft lip usually can't be prevented, consider the following steps to increase your understanding or reduce your risk:

Consider genetic counseling

If you have a family history of cleft lip, tell your doctor before your pregnancy.

Your doctor can refer you to a genetic counselor who can help pinpoint your risk of having a child with this condition.

Take prenatal vitamins

Taking a multivitamin before and during pregnancy can help reduce the risk of birth defects, such as cleft lip.

If you are planning to become pregnant in the near future, start taking prenatal vitamins now.

Don't use tobacco or alcohol

Drinking alcohol while pregnant and smoking during pregnancy are strongly discouraged. The reason is, these two things can increase the risk of having a baby with cleft lip.

What should I do when my child has cleft lip?

When caring for babies with cleft lip in the family, follow these tips:

• Don't beat yourself up. Focus on supporting and helping your child.
• Get to know your emotions. It's natural to feel sad and disappointed.
• Find support. The hospital social worker can help you find community, financial support and education.

You can support your little one with cleft lip in a number of ways:

• Focus on your child as a person, not on their condition.
• Show positive attributes in others that don't involve physical appearance.
• Help your child increase their self-esteem by letting them make decisions.
• Encourage confident body language, such as smiling, straightening your head and shoulders.
• Keep communication open. If ridicule or self-esteem issues arise at school, make sure your child feels safe discussing it with you.

If you have any questions, consult your doctor for the best solution to your problem.