Birth defect
condition present at birth regardless of cause; human disease or disorder developed prior to birth
A birth defect is an abnormal condition that is present at birth, regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can range from mild to severe. Birth defects are divided into two main types: structural disorders in which problems are seen with the shape of a body part and functional disorders in which problems exist with how a body part works. Functional disorders include metabolic and degenerative disorders. Some birth defects include both structural and functional disorders.
Birth defects may result from genetic or chromosomal disorders, exposure to certain medications or chemicals, or certain infections during pregnancy. Risk factors include folate deficiency, drinking alcohol or smoking during pregnancy, poorly controlled diabetes, and a mother over the age of 35 years. Many birth defects are believed to involve multiple factors. Birth defects may be visible at birth or diagnosed by screening tests.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Birth defect” as condition present at birth regardless of cause; human disease or disorder developed prior to birth. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as condition present at birth regardless of cause; human disease or disorder developed prior to birth. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q727096. The Library of Congress control number is sh85000182. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Birth defect” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.