Birth Defects: A Review on Global Action Plans on Maternal and Child Health Care

Abstract

The term birth defect encompasses a wide variety of birth anomalies resulting from deviation in normal embryogenesis. There is a continuum of variation among newborns, including some variation that has detrimental health consequences for the child. The following summary explores the naming, categorizing, and diagnosing of birth defects. Example conditions are used to illustrate principles that help organize current thinking about the etiology of birth defects. Despite advances in scientific research, birth defects continue to pose a large medical and economic burden. Ongoing birth-defect research is generating a rapid expansion in our understanding of the mechanisms leading to birth defects and in our appreciation of potential targets for prevention and treatment.