Survey of Lifestyle of Pregnant Women in Japan and Lao Carrying Infants with Cleft Lip and/or Cleft Palate

• Published in: Journal of Japanese Cleft Palate Association Vol. 37; no. 1; pp. 37 - 43
• Main Authors: FUJII, Ayako, KATASHIMA, Hirotaka, NAKAMA, Joji, GOTO, Takahiro, TENGAN, Toshimoto, ARAKAKI, Keiichi, SHU, Kaiei, SUNAKAWA, Hajime
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japanese Cleft Palate Association 25.04.2012; 一般社団法人 日本口蓋裂学会
• Subjects: Cleft lip and/or cleft palate; environmental factors; Lao; maternal environment; ラオス人民民主共和国; 口唇裂・口蓋裂; 母胎環境; 環境要因
• ISSN: 0386-5185; 2186-5701
• DOI: 10.11224/cleftpalate.37.37

Objective: The present study aimed to elucidate the involvement of environmental factors in the development of cleft lip and/or cleft palate (CL/P). We surveyed the lifestyles of pregnant women carrying infants with and without CL/P in Japan and categorized them into cases and controls. This study also included a few subjects from Lao. Methods: We enrolled 24 Japanese mothers of infants with CL/P from the Cleft Lip and Palate Center, Ryukyu University Hospital (cases) and 22 Japanese mothers whose infants and family members were not affected by any congenital anomaly (controls). We also studied 26 mothers from Lao having infants with CL/P who underwent surgery in 2011. All subjects were provided questionnaires in their local language and were interviewed by the local staff after obtaining an informed consent. This survey was approved by the ethical committee of the University of Ryukyus. Results: 1) In Japan, mothers having infants with CL/P were aware of their pregnancy 2.9 weeks earlier than mothers having infants without CL/P. 2) The average age of the Japanese mothers having infants with CL/P was 27.0 years, which is higher than that of mothers from Lao. 3) With regard to tobacco, alcohol, food, and drug habits during pregnancy, the survey results did not reveal any significant difference between the Japanese cases and controls. Conclusion: The above findings suggest that identifying pregnancy at an early stage helps in changing one's lifestyle by controlling tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption, thereby allaying the development of cleft lip and/or palate.