Brooklyn babies ((5) born with deformity

americancanadian

Thu, Feb 05 2009, 9:27 am

My friiend called me last night and asked me if I heard about this. She says that approx. 5 heimishe local newborns from will/bp were born with one hand only till the elbow. Does anyone know if this is accurate? she says she personally knows 3 of the families it happened to. Im currently preg. and am wondering ...do you think it was drug they were all taking, had the same dr? pharmacist? Anyone?

Fox

Thu, Feb 05 2009, 10:52 am

I haven't heard anything about this, but I don't live in Brooklyn.

However, it would be almost unheard of in North America for such anomalies to be caused by taking medication during pregnancy. While people remember the Thalidomide babies in Europe, they sometimes forget that the U.S. had virtually none -- the FDA had rejected the drug because of inadequate safety studies. And clearly, the doctor has nothing to do with it!

There are a variety of syndromes, including muscular-skeletal and cranio-facial syndromes, that can result in such problems. There are a handful of researchers who are actively working on the genetic basis of various syndromes, and what they have discovered is as follows:

1. Most syndromes with these features are not a matter of simply 9th grade dominant/recessive genetics. They involve triggers that produce collagen in the developing fetus, and while there are some familial links, the vast majority of affected individuals have no one in their families with similar anomalies going back several generations.

2. Such syndromes may have multiple causes; in other words, there might be a familial link, but other cases might be caused by different trigger or lack thereof during fetal development.

3. Most syndromes are not concentrated in any one racial or ethnic group.

4. These kinds of syndromes are not the result of poor prenatal care or other events during pregnancy. Nothing you do can cause or prevent these syndromes.

5. Features associated with various syndromes can range from mild to severe. Many individuals might be unaware that they even have such a syndrome. I've met many people who say things like, "Oh, yeah, my left arm is almost 2 inches shorter than my right. I always wondered about that!" Obviously, in other cases, the anomaly is more obvious.

6. The vast majority of these syndromes are NOT associated with more serious internal defects or illnesses, and they are NOT associated with decreased mental functioning.

Interestingly, people often react with more fear and anxiety about these kinds of health issues than they do to far more serious issues; I guess many people find it harder to look at a baby or child with an obvious deformity than a hidden one -- even though the hidden one may be far more threatening or deadly.

Whether this turns out to be true or not, you can do a lot for people with similar physical anomalies by fighting ignorance:

1. If the subject comes up, explain to friends that these syndromes do not have anything to do with what the mother did/didn't do during pregnancy. Don't allow yourself to engage in magical thinking ("She must have taken some kind of medicine; I don't take medicine, so my baby won't have a similar problem"). Gently correct people who insist that there must be some identifiable "cause" that they can understand. Medical researchers are doing hishtadlus, and when Hashem wants us to understand, we will.

2. Remember -- and remind people who forget -- that many people have "defects" of some kind! Imagine if everyone who had a learning disability could trade it in for a bad arm. Or if you could trade a predisposition to heart disease for a missing finger! The defects we see are not necessarily the ones that make life difficult.

3. Unless you are actively employed in the medical field in specific areas, you probably have no idea how much reconstructive surgery -- including lengthening limbs -- can be done. When my late DD was born without thumbs, her surgeons simply repositioned the muscles of her index fingers to make thumbs. She was still one finger short on each hand, but I stopped occupational therapy at age three -- when she took a screw driver and removed all the handles from my floor-level kitchen cabinets.

I know that hearing such news can be upsetting and worrisome when you're pregnant, and all the logic in the world won't alleviate the anxiety. But just try to focus on being a good parent -- no matter what your baby needs from you.

pgk

Thu, Feb 05 2009, 5:00 pm

Didn't hear about this, but I did hear of a similar situation not too long ago in Lakewood where kids in a particular area were born with a variety of birth defects (the kid I know was born without an ear and had various other problems, she was niftar a couple of years ago). I think they tried to get Erin Bronkovich involved.

Strudel

Thu, Feb 05 2009, 5:22 pm

You do seem to get clusters of similar birth defects. I remember working as a OT in the UK and visiting 5 or 6 kids in the same 3 or 4 streets who had problems. I always felt it was linked to pollution/toxins.

pecan

Thu, Feb 05 2009, 6:43 pm

This is so wierd. Ny nephew's arm stops at his elbow and it was just supposed to be a fluke (years ago). I'm curious if there could be an actual reason for it.

ShakleeMom

Thu, Feb 05 2009, 7:11 pm

Chromosomal abnormalities can cause limb and joint abnormalities. Sometimes the cause is unknown. The drug thalidomide Some Trade Names THALOMID, which was taken by some pregnant women in the late 1950s and early 1960s for morning sickness, caused a variety of limb defects—usually short, poorly functioning appendages developed in place of arms and legs.

Abnormalities of the arms and legs may occur in a horizontal fashion (for example, if the arm is shorter than normal) or in a lengthwise fashion (for example, the arm is abnormal on the thumb side [from the elbow to the thumb] but normal on the little finger side). Children often become very adept at using a malformed limb, and an artificial limb (prosthesis) can often be fitted (usually when the child is able to sit independently) to make the limb easier to use.

merck.com

Pinky

Thu, Feb 05 2009, 7:35 pm

my sisters sis-in-law (she lives in Brooklyn) had a baby last week witha missing arm theysaw it on the sono!iwas so freaked out couldnt sleep now you say there are 5!mishiachs on its way!

Hashem_Yaazor

Fri, Feb 06 2009, 10:18 am

Defects like this in clustered areas have been linked to environmental pollutants and toxins -- is there a landfill nearby? A certain factory? It should be reported (I can't remember where).

The book Poisoned Profits is an interesting, and scary, read addressing concerns like this Sad

GAMZu

Tue, Feb 10 2009, 12:15 am

Wow, really? Haven't heard of it. Certainly scary.

leomom

Tue, Feb 10 2009, 1:54 am

Can you post a link to any article about this? I wasn't successful googling.