1. Anencephal y
BY
Aline Rivas Vera

2. What is
Anencephaly?
 Anencephaly is a condition present at birth that
affects the formation of the brain and the skull
bones that surround the head.
 Infants are born without a fore-brain (the
thinking and coordinating area) and are usually
blind, deaf, unconscious and are unable to feel
pain.
 Anencephaly is seen 5 times more often in
females than males.

3. What cause
Anencephaly?
 Anencephaly is a type of neural tube defect.
Neural tube defects, spina bifida (open spine)
and anencephaly (open skull) are seen in one
per 1,000 live births.
 During pregnancy, the human brain and spine
begin as a flat plate of cells, which rolls into a
tube, called the neural tube. If all or part of the
neural tube fails to close, leaving an opening,
this is known as an open neural tube defect, or
ONTD. This opening may be left exposed (80
percent of the time), or covered with bone or
skin (20 percent of the time).

4. What are the
symptoms?
The following are the most common symptoms of
anencephaly. However, each child may experience
symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
 Absence of bony covering over the back of the
head.
 Missing bones around the front and sides of
the head.
 Congenital heart defects
 Some basic reflexes, but without the cerebrum,
there can be no consciousness.

5. How is diagnosed?
- Diagnostic tests performed during pregnancy to evaluate the
baby for anencephaly include the following:
 Alpha-fetoprotein - a protein produced by the fetus that is
excreted into the amniotic fluid. Abnormal levels of alpha-
fetoprotein may indicate brain or spinal cord defects.
 Amniocentesis - a test performed to determine chromosomal
and genetic disorders and certain birth defects. The test involves
inserting a needle through the abdominal and uterine wall into the
amniotic sac to retrieve a sample of amniotic fluid.
 Ultrasound (Also called sonography.) - a diagnostic imaging
technique that uses high-frequency sound waves and a computer
to create images of blood vessels, tissues, and organs.
 Blood tests

6. At Risk:
 Women taking anticonvulsant
medication.
 Woman with undiagnosed or
uncontrolled diabetes.
 Any woman with a family history of
neural tube defects.

7. Causes:
 Folic Acid deficiency
 Hypervitaminosis A
 Undiagnosed diabetes
 Environmental/chemical exposure

8. Treatment:
 There is no cure for anencephaly.
Prognosis:
 The prognosis for babies born with
anencephaly is extremely poor. If the
infant is not stillborn, then he or she will
usually die within a few hours or days
after birth.

10. Prevention:
 Taking 4 to 5 milligrams of folic acid daily
for 2 to 3 months before conception for
all woman at risk of having a child with a
neural tube defect.

11. Works Cited
 Anencephaly Information." National Institutes of Health. 31 Jul. 2005
"
<http://www.anencephaly.net/anencephaly.html>.
 Nilsson , Lennart . "Anencephaly Awareness." 31 Jul. 2005
<http://www.angelfire.com/mb/jessicasjourney/info.html>.
 NINDS Anencephaly Information Page. National Institute of Health. 31 Jul. 2005
<http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/anencephaly/anencephaly.htm >.
 Anencephaly Picture." 31 Jul. 2005
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