A number of 361 children were born with malformations in Moldova last year, as opposed to 515 in 2017. The consumption of ethyl alcohol increases the risk of giving birth to children with malformations. Specialists of the National Center of Reproductive Health and Medical Genetics said among the risk factors are also the mother’s age over 35, presence of chromosomal anomalies in one of the genitors and existence of earlier pregnancies with a fetus with chromosomal abnormalities and malformations, IPN reports.
Congenital malformations are single or multiple defects of the morphogenesis of organs or body districts. At birth, the average frequency of malformations is of about 2–3%. The congenital disorders are one of the main causes of fetal and infantile death and of long-term morbidity.
Such risks are faced by women who are exposed to radiation, take drugs with teratogenic potential, have a metabolic disease, etc. Smoking increases the risk of abortion, premature birth or fetal death. The effect of coffee on pregnancy is controversial, with most of the experts saying a modest consumption of coffee does not affect the development of the fetus.
To avoid giving birth to children with congenital defects, the future mothers should take the double test in the first quarter of pregnancy and the triple test on the 14th-18th week of pregnancy. The young couples are advised to give up smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages and taking medicines without a prescription if they want to become parents of healthy children.
On January 1, 2019, there were 9,652 children younger than 18 with birth defects in Moldova. Life expectancy among such children depends on the complexity of the problem. In case of multiple severe malformations that affect two or several systems, life expectancy is limited to hours. In other cases, the patient can have a long life.
