| Health Issue |
Description |
Cause |
Symptoms/Risks |
Hereditary |
Detectable at Birth |
Source |
| Alcohol Use During Pregnancy |
Drinking alcohol while pregnant |
Drinking alcohol while pregnant; greater risk during first 10 weeks of pregnancy |
Mild to severe, including birth defects, growth prolems and learning & behavior problems |
No |
Yes, for birth defects |
Webmd.com
American Council for Drug Education
|
| Allergies |
Reaction to a substance that is not harmful to most people |
Exposure to an allergen, such as a drug, food, or insect sting |
Ranges from mild (stuffy nose) to severe (anaphylactic shock) |
Possibly |
No |
Webmd.com |
| Anxiety |
Out of proportion feelings of helplessness, confusion, and worry |
Unknown, links to past trauma, parent with depression, underlying physical ailment |
Excessive worry & sadness, inability to concentrate, rapid heartbeat, excessive startle reflex, fatigue & sleep problems |
Yes, but not always |
No |
Webmd.com |
| Asthma |
Airways in the lungs produce too much mucus and swell, making breathing difficult. |
Unknown. generally triggered by allergies, viruses, and airborne irritants |
Inability to breathe, increased risk of bronchitis and pneumonia |
Possibly; also linked to smoking while pregnant |
No |
Webmd.com
American Lung Association
|
|
Attention-Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
|
Impulse control issues, difficulty concentrating |
Unknown. Links to prenatal smoking, drinking, poor nutrition, infections, and exposure to toxins |
Difficultly concentrating, excessive movement, getting bored easily, impulsivity, and difficulty in school. |
Possibly |
No |
Webmd.com |
Bipolar Disorder
|
Formally manic-depression; serious mental illness with extreme changes in mood from mania to depression |
Unknown, but significant genetic component |
Manic (high energy, reckless, restless, talkative) followed by depression (sadness, lethargy) |
Yes |
No |
Webmd.com |
| Birthmarks |
Colored marks on the skin at or soon after birth |
Unknown |
Most are harmless; only need treatment if cause health issues |
No |
Yes |
Webmd.com |
| Cerebral Palsy |
Motor problems and physical disorders from a brain injury; causes uncontrolled reflex movements and muscle tightness |
Brain injury during pregnancy, at birth, or in the first three years of life. |
Issues with body movement and posture |
No |
No |
Webmd.com |
| Cleft Palate/Cleft Lip |
Treatable birth defect affecting roof of mouth and/or lips |
Heredity; also prenatal alcohol, drugs, and smoking |
Difficulty eating |
Yes, but not always |
Yes |
Webmd.com |
| Congenital Heart Defect |
Problem with formation of baby's heart |
Unknown; possibly alcohol or drug use during pregnancy or genetics |
Malformed heart |
Yes, but not always |
Yes |
Webmd.com |
| Cystic Fibrosis |
Disease causing mucus to become thick, dry, and sticky |
Genetic disorder |
Severe breathing problems |
Yes |
Yes |
Webmd.com |
| Depression |
Mood disorder causing long-term sadness and irritability |
Certain drugs & medications, genetics, and stressful life events |
Long-term sadness and irritability, food and sleep issues, difficulty concentrating, suicidal thoughts; severe depression can affect all areas of a child's life |
Yes, but not always |
No |
Webmd.com |
| Developmental Problems |
Child does not reach milestone within range of normal |
Premature birth, hearing issues, developmental disabilities, genetic disorders |
Can be symotom of a genetic disorder or developmental disability |
Yes, but not always |
No |
Webmd.com |
| Diabetes Type 1 |
Lifelong disease when pancreas stops producing enough insulin |
Genetics, certain viral infections |
Increased thirst and urination, weight loss, fatigue, increased appetite |
Yes |
No |
Webmd.com |
| Diabetes Type 2 |
A lifelong disease when the pancreas cannot produve enough insulin or the body is unable to use it |
Unknown; links to being overweight, family hustory, and lack of exercise |
Can damage blood vessels, eyes, heart, kidney, and nerves |
Possibly |
No |
Webmd.com |
| Down Syndrome |
Born with distinct phyical features, such as a flat face and short neck, and some degree of cognitive disability |
Abnormal cell division in the early stages of fetal development |
Below agerage intelligence; developmental disabilities; heart, intestinal, ear, and respiratiry defects |
No |
Yes |
Webmd.com |
| Drug Use During Pregnancy |
Using drugs while pregnant |
Using drugs while pregnant |
Cocaine & Methamphetamine: miscarriage, premature laor, drug dependency at birth
Heroin & other narcotics; low birth weight, low blood sugar, breathing difficulties, drug dependency at birth
|
No |
Yes |
American Council For Drug Educattion |
| Epilepsy |
Condition causing repeated seizures |
Unknown; can be from head injury, brain tumor or infection, or stroke |
Fainting, loss of muscle control |
Yes, but not always |
Yes |
Webmd.com |
| Hearing Issues/ Deafness |
Hearing loss or inability to hear |
Congenital causes maternal diabetes, premature birth, repeated ear infection |
Inability to hear, delayed speech, developmental delays |
Yes, but not always |
Yes |
Beginnings: For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Inc; American Speech- Language- Hearing Association |
| Hemophilia |
Rare bleeding disorder that prevents blood from clotting properly |
Genetic deficiency and certain illnesses |
Excessive bleeding or bruising, anemia |
Yes |
No |
National Hemophilia Foundation; Kid's Health |
| Hepatitis A |
Liver infection that causes temporary liver inflammation |
Exposure to virus through oral contact with stool or sexual contact |
For less than two months, can experience fatigue, jaundice, nausea, and liver pain |
No |
No |
Webmd.com |
| Hepatitis B |
Serious liver disease |
Exposure to infected blood or other bodily fluids |
Liver scarring, liver failure, liver cancer, and possibly death |
No |
No |
Webmd.com |
| Hepatitis C |
Virus that infect the liver and can result in permanent liver damage |
Exposure to infected blood; in rare cases, passed from mother to child at birth |
jaundice, joint pain, sore muscles, fatigue, and itchy skin |
No |
No |
Webmd.com |
| HIV Positive |
Human immunodeficiency virus, which is the virus that causes AIDS |
Exposure to infected blood or sexual contact with infected person |
Development of AIDS |
No, but can be passed from pregnant mother to baby |
Yes |
March of Dimes |
| Incest |
Pregnancy resulting from sexual contact between the birthmother and a blood relative |
Sexual contact between blood relatives (whether through rape or consent) |
Heightened risk of recessive genes coming together or genetic defects being passed to child |
Yes |
Yes, but not always |
Answers.com |
| Lack of Prenatal Care |
Failure to receive healthcare throughout pregnancy |
Inability to afford medical care, unaware of pregnancy, no access to medical care |
Low birth weight, premature birth |
No |
N/A |
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
| Malnutrition |
Poor nutrition during pregnancy |
Poverty, eating disorders |
Premature birth, low birth weight, feeding difficulties, poor development, respiratory issues |
No |
N/A |
United Nations University; National Eating Disorder Association |
| Muscular Dystrophy |
Genetic disorder that gradually weakens the body's muscles |
Genetic issue that prevents body from making necessary protiens to build and maintain healthy muscles |
Difficulty with walking and other physical activity |
Yes |
No |
Kids Health for Parents |
| Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) |
Aftereffect of being traumatized |
Trauma, including child abuse |
nightmare, flashbacks, anxiety; severe PTSD can affect all areas of a child's life
|
No |
No |
Webmd.com |
| Premature Birth |
Infant born between 22 and 37 completed weeks of pregnancy |
Often unknown; linked to drug or alcohol use during pregnancy, twins, and infection in mother |
If born too early, major organs are not fully developed |
No |
Yes |
Webmd.com |
| Rape |
Pregnancy resulting from unwanted sex |
Forced sex (rape) |
Lack of health history for birth father in stranger rape |
No |
N/A |
South Australia Department of Health |
| Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) |
Inability to attach as the result of negligent care or abuse and never forming a healthy emotional attacment before age 5 |
Gross neglect, abuse, repeated change in caregivers |
Detached, withdrawn, indiscriminately sociable, disruptive behavior, inability to form relationships, learning difficulties and behavior problems in school; severely affects every aspect of a child's life |
No |
No |
Webmd.com |
| Retardation |
Lower than average intelligence |
Brain injury or issue with brain development |
Trouble with learning and social skills; less able to care for self into adulthood |
Yes, but not always |
Yes (through blood test) |
Kid's Health |
| Schizophrenia |
Serious mental illness that can cause hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia |
Unknown, but genetic link; possibly caused by malnurition or exposure to virus during pregnancy |
Delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, significant lack of motivation |
Possibly |
No |
Webmd.com |
| Sickle Cell Anemia |
Heredutary blood disorder affecting people of African ancestry |
Inheriting two abnormal genes (one from each birth parent) that cause red blood cells to change shape |
Jaundice, fatigue, pain, trouble fighting infection |
Yes |
Yes |
Teens Health |
| Sight Issues/ Blindness |
Impaired ability or inability to see |
Vitamin A deficiency, premature birth, measles, congenital cataracts |
Limited ability or inability to see |
Yes, but not always |
Yes |
Unite for Sight |
| Smoking During Pregnancy |
Smoking cigarettes while pregnant |
Smoking cigarettes while pregnant |
Premature birth, low birth weight, increased risk of asthma or ADHD, ear infections, inhibited growth |
No |
Yes for some; no for asthma, ADHD and inhibited growth |
Webmd.com
American Lung Association
|
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