Download research paper - WordPress.com

Chyna Hunter
Cleft Lip and Palate
18 February 18, 2015
Cleft Lip and Palate
A gene disorder is an illness caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome. Cleft
lip and palate are gene disorders that occur in approximately 1 in 940 newborns a year. There are
many symptoms, causes, and treatments to cure the child or adult.
The causes of cleft lip and palate range from birth defects to genes on chromosomes.
There are many different causes for cleft lip and palate, but the main reasons would be one
particular gene on the X chromosomes, and defects that occur very early in pregnancy. In the
case of cleft lip and palate, the gene TBX22 (TBOX22) carries this disorder. TBOX22 is found
on the X chromosome. TBOX22 is only on one of the nearly 2000 genes. People think that since
the infected gene is only one out of many that their child will not be diagnosed with this disease,
but that’s not the case. Another major cause of cleft lip and palate is the early stages of
development in pregnancy. Cleft lip and cleft palate occur when tissues in the baby's face and
mouth do not form properly. Normally, the tissues that make up the lip and palate mix together
in the second and third months of pregnancy. However, in babies with cleft lip and cleft palate,
the fusion never takes place or occurs only partially, leaving an opening which is referred to as a
cleft. Even though those are the two main causes for cleft lip and palate, children can also inherit
the disorder from their parents, as the mutated TBX22 gene can be passed from parents to their
offspring.
There are many different symptoms that result from the disease cleft lip and palate. Some
of the symptoms for cleft lip and palate are facial and oral malfunctions. Problems with feeding
and speech, and major ear infections. Cleft lip and palate can also majorly affect appearance of
the face. Another major symptom is a splint and/or opening in the lip. The opening can be small
or large enough to connect the upper lip and nose. These disorders are not deadly. Even though
cleft lip and palate are not deadly disorders a few percentage of the recipients are more likely to
commit suicide because of bullying, appearance etc. These symptoms will cause everyday things
such as eating, talking, and even breathing.
There are no cures for genetic disorders because the distribution of the missing protein can be
tricky. Without any cures for genetic disorders, there are treatments to help prevent some of the
symptoms for genetic disorders. A person who is diagnosed with cleft lip and palate needs an
advanced team of therapist, doctors, and surgeons. It is highly recommended that once diagnosed
with cleft lip and palate to get a treatment team that consist of people that are fit to suit you or
your child’s needs. Normally, a treatment team will have a speech and language therapist. A cleft
surgeon, a pediatrician, and an oral surgeon or dentist. The reason for a speech and language
therapist is because, cleft lip and palate causes problems with speaking properly, and
pronunciation. You would definitely need a cleft surgeon because of the fact that you could get a
surgeries to remove your cleft, or palate. Also, cleft lip and palate can prove to have major
defects with your mouth, and teeth. That is why it is a must to have oral surgeons and dentist.
Overall, having the disorders cleft lip and palate, or both is not a bad thing unless that
patient chooses it to be. As long as that person gets the right treatments, and is taken care of
properly, then they can beat the disorders.
http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/cleft-lip-and-palate/overview.html
http://www.healthline.com/health/cleft-lip-and-palate#Overview1
http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/CleftLip/
http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/ears/cleft_lip_palate.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC421756/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC421777/
http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/cleft-lip-cleft-palate
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cleft-lip-and-palate/Pages/Treatment.aspx