| Cleft lip and palate | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Hare-lip, cleft lip and palate |
 | |
| Child with cleft lip and palate | |
| Specialty | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Otorhinolaryngology, pediatrics |
| Symptoms | Opening in the upper lip that may extend into the nose or palate[1] |
| Complications | Feeding problems, speech problems, hearing problems, frequent ear infections[1] |
| Usual onset | Present at birth[1] |
| Causes | Usually unknown[1] |
| Risk factors | Smoking during pregnancy, diabetes, obesity, older mother, certain medications[1][2] |
| Treatment | Surgery, speech therapy, dental care[1] |
| Prognosis | Good (with treatment)[1] |
| Frequency | 1.5 per 1000 births (developed world)[2] |
| Deaths | 3,800 (2017)[3] |
A cleft lip contains an opening in the upper lip that may extend into the nose.[1] The opening may be on one side, both sides, or in the middle.[1] A cleft palate occurs when the palate (the roof of the mouth) contains an opening into the nose.[1] The term orofacial cleft refers to either condition or to both occurring together. These disorders can result in feeding problems, speech problems, hearing problems, and frequent ear infections.[1] Less than half the time the condition is associated with other disorders.[1]
Cleft lip and palate are the result of tissues of the face not joining properly during development.[1] As such, they are a type of birth defect.[1] The cause is unknown in most cases.[1] Risk factors include smoking during pregnancy, diabetes, obesity, an older mother, and certain medications (such as some used to treat seizures).[1][2] Cleft lip and cleft palate can often be diagnosed during pregnancy with an ultrasound exam.[1]
A cleft lip or palate can be successfully treated with surgery.[1] This is often done in the first few months of life for cleft lip and before eighteen months for cleft palate.[1] Speech therapy and dental care may also be needed.[1] With appropriate treatment, outcomes are good.[1]
Cleft lip and palate occurs in about 1 to 2 per 1000 births in the developed world.[2] Cleft lip is about twice as common in males as females, while cleft palate without cleft lip is more common in females.[2] In 2017, it resulted in about 3,800 deaths globally, down from 14,600 deaths in 1990.[3][4] Cleft lips are commonly known as hare-lips because of their resemblance to the lips of hares or rabbits.[5]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Facts about Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate". October 20, 2014. Archived from the original on May 8, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Watkins SE, Meyer RE, Strauss RP, Aylsworth AS (April 2014). "Classification, epidemiology, and genetics of orofacial clefts". Clinics in Plastic Surgery. 41 (2): 149–163. doi:10.1016/j.cps.2013.12.003. PMID 24607185.
- ^ a b "Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality for 282 causes of death in 195 countries and territories, 1980-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017". Lancet. 392 (10159): 1736–1788. November 2018. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32203-7. PMC 6227606. PMID 30496103.
- ^ "GBD Results Tool | GHDx". ghdx.healthdata.org. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- ^ Boklage CE (2010). How new humans are made cells and embryos, twins and chimeras, left and right, mind/selfsoul, sex, and schizophrenia. Singapore: World Scientific. p. 283. ISBN 978-981-283-514-7. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017.