Introduction
Teratogens are substances, such as medications, chemicals, or diseases, that can induce aberrant development in the womb. Teratogens are ambient substances that, when introduced to the mother, can disrupt normal fetal development, culminating in gestational maldevelopment or mortality (Tsamantioti and Hashmi, 2020). There are billions of possible teratogens, but only a few have been confirmed to cause fetal harm (Clowse et al., 2018). These impacts may cause a baby to be born with a congenital anomaly. The vast majority of compounds humans come into contact with are not known teratogens (MacDonald et al., 2019). The majority of chromosomal defects have a complex etiology, including both genetic and environmental factors. This work aims to study teratogens and their effect on mothers and children.
Definition
Teratogens include metabolic diseases that impact pregnant women, such as malnutrition, diabetes, and thyroid abnormalities. Metabolic circumstances are deviations from the chemical process of generating energy from food, which affects the body’s growth and function. If a pregnant woman is underweight, her infant is likely to be deficient in nutrients necessary for growth. In the case of diabetes, hypoglycemia, often known as hypoglycemia, can result in fetal abnormalities. Thyroid disorders are considered in which the thyroid gland fails, resulting in excessive production of the parathyroid hormone, thyroid hormone and thyroxin, which control metabolism. Thyroid abnormalities can have a variety of teratogenic consequences on a growing baby, as well as adverse pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriages, early detachment of the placental from the uterine lining, premature labor, and low Intelligence scores in children.
Saudi Case
Teratogen knowledge among Saudi women is critical since it can reduce avoidable birth abnormalities. A poor understanding was exhibited of fever’s ability to induce congenital malformations, which may be attributable to the fact that fever seldom causes congenital deformities (Al-Mekhlafi et al., 2021). However, because it is more well known, most of them agreed that fever in pregnancy must be addressed. Because no explaining the concept of women’s recognition of fever was conducted, the findings could not be compared. On the other hand, approximately half of the individuals in the survey were aware that German measles is detrimental to the infant. Similarly, local research in Al-Khobar found that half of the respondents were aware of the teratogenic implications of German measles.
Comorbidities that represent a teratogenic risk include diabetes during pregnancy, which is linked to an increased risk of chromosomal defect, thyroid-related disorders and drugs, and epilepsy medicines. Women’s knowledge revealed a lack of information on the teratogenicity of impaired glucose tolerance, thyroid disorders, drugs, and epileptic medication (Alhamdan et al., 2020). In general, the usage and safety of medicines during gestation is a hotly debated topic (Shroukh et al., 2020). Rubella, the first teratogenic virus known, is one of the other teratogenic effects. Teratogenicity of radiation awareness was shown to be high in a Saudi study of pregnant women who were exposed to radiation.
US Case
Alcohol and smoking are two of the biggest avoidable causes of birth abnormalities and developmental impairments in the United States. Alcohol use during pregnancy has a substantial impact on the fetus and newborn (Corrales-Gutierrez et al., 2019). Alcohol can travel from the mother’s circulation to the fetus via the placenta. Because alcohol is metabolized more slowly in pregnancy than in a grownup, alcohol content usually remains elevated and in the child’s body for a more extended period of time (Chung et al., 2021). Birth abnormalities caused by prenatal alcohol consumption can arise in the first few weeks of pregnancy before a woman even realizes she is carrying. A fetal alcohol disorder is a condition that occurs in newborns born to moms who drank alcohol while pregnant (Sebastiani et al., 2018). Smoking almost doubles a woman’s chance of having a reduced birth baby due to poor prenatal development, premature delivery, or a combination of the two (Singh and Verma, 2019). Premature and low birth-weight newborns are at a higher risk of significant health issues during the neonatal period, persistent lifelong impairments, and death.
Comparison
Teratogen awareness among Saudi women is crucial since it can prevent unnecessary congenital disabilities. The lack of awareness regarding fever’s capacity to produce congenital abnormalities may be due to the fact that fever rarely causes genetic defects. Women’s knowledge demonstrated a dearth of understanding about the hepatotoxicity of decreased glucose acceptance, thyroid problems, medicines, and epileptic treatment. The use and safety of medications during pregnancy is a contentious issues. Ibrahim et al. (2021) note: “483 patients participated in the study; among them, 97.3% reported that they used the drug based on a doctor’s prescription, 94.6% were aware of Isotretinoin’s teratogenic effect, and 30.6% confirmed their awareness of the PPP” (p. 527). This suggests that in Saudi Arabia, it is widespread.
In the United States, alcohol and smoking are two of the most preventable causes of congenital disabilities and developmental disabilities. Alcohol consumption during delivery has a significant influence on the fetus and infant. Only 4% of births were somehow exposed to teratogens in the United States from all the samples in the study (Feldkamp et al., 2017). This suggests that this problem in the United States is not as acute as Saudi Arabia.
Conclusion
To sum up, teratogens are environmental toxins that when introduced into the mother, can disturb normal development in the womb, resulting in gestational maldevelopment or death. These influences may result in the birth of a baby with a congenital abnormality. The overwhelming majority of substances humans come into contact with are not recognized carcinogens. Thyroid diseases are defined as conditions in which the thyroid hormone fails, resulting in a more significant generation of the parathyroid hormones thyroid hormone and thyroxin, which regulate metabolism.
References
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