Cleft lip and cleft palate

A cleft lip is a birth defect. It is an opening in the upper lip that can expand into the nose. The opening may be on one side, both sides, or in the middle. A cleft palate happens when the palate has an opening into the nose.

Cleft lip and palate
Other names	Hare-lip, cleft lip and palate
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Child with cleft lip and palate
Symptoms	Opening in the upper lip that may extend into the nose or palate
Complications	Feeding problems, speech problems, hearing problems, frequent ear infections
Usual onset	Present at birth
Causes	Usually unknown
Risk factors	Smoking during pregnancy, diabetes, obesity, older mother, certain medications
Treatment	Surgery, speech therapy, dental care
Prognosis	Good (with treatment)
Frequency	1.5 per 1000 births (developed world)
Deaths	3,800 (2017)

The disorder can result in feeding problems, speech problems, hearing problems, and frequent ear infections. Less than half the time the condition is connected with other disorders.

It is a birth defect and may be caused by smoking and drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Other things connected to this are the age of the mother (older mothers are more likely to give birth to children with birth defects) and the sex of the child (cleft lip is twice as common in boys than in girls).

Cleft Lip And Cleft Palate Media

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  A baby being fed using a customized bottle. The upright sitting position allows gravity to help the baby swallow the milk more easily.

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  A repaired cleft palate on a 64-year-old female

• Unilateral incomplete cleft lip (left side).*Original created by Felsir SVG created by DnetSvg

• Cleft lip, unilateral complete. See en:cleft lip and palate.

• Bilateral complete cleft lip (left side)

• Six-month-old girl before going into surgery to have her unilateral complete cleft lip repaired

• The same girl, one month after the surgery

• The same girl, age eight, the scar almost gone

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  Bilateral complete cleft lip (left side)

References

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