AnencephalyBy: Jake Weber

And Jenny Coyle

Definition

An absence of a large part of the brain and skull.

What it Causes

Absence of the skull Absence of the

brain (cerebral hemispheres and cerebellum)

Facial feature abnormalities

Heart defects

Frequency and Treatment

About 4,000 people in the U.S. have it

No current therapy, causes death within a few days

Ways to avoid it

The expectant mother should take folic acid multivitamin every day or foods containing it.

Sources

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002547/

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/Anencephaly.html

http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site578/mainpageS578P0.html