Anencephaly

Anencephaly

          : Cephalic disorder that is the absence of a major portion of the brain, skull, and scalp.  

             Results from a neural tube defect that occurs when the head end of the neural defect fails to  close, usually between the 23rd and 26th day following conception.

           Anencephaly occurs in about 1 out of every 10,000 births.

         The remaining structure is usually covered only by a thin layer of membrane. Infants with this   disorder do not survive longer than a few hours or possibly days after their birth. A baby born with anencephaly is usually blind, deaf, unaware of its surroundings and unable to feel pain. 

          Neural tube defects do not follow direct patterns. Studies have shown that the addition of folic  acid to the diet of women of child-bearing age may significantly reduce, although not eliminate, the incidence of neural tube defects.

          It is recommended that all women of child-bearing age consume 0.4 mg of folic acid daily.     Physicians may prescribe even higher dosages of folic acid (4 mg/day) for women having had a previous pregnancy with a neural tube defect. 

          Recent animal models indicate a possible association with deficiencies of transcription factor TEAD2.

          It is known that women taking certain medications for epilepsy and women with insulin- dependent diabetes have a higher risk of having a child with a neural tube defect.

         There is no standard treatment for anencephaly and the prognosis for patients is death.