Syndactyly is a congenital or birth defect that occurs during fetal development, usually at the time of formation of the organs. This disorder consists of fusion of one or more fingers and is the most common of all hand deformities (Jordan, Hindocha, Dhital, Saleh, Khan). Syndactyly is the failure to differentiate between the fingers because of the failure to separate into individual appendages. The digits may be joined simply by skin or in more complex case’s, the actual bone may be fused together. It doesn’t consist of all fingers fused together, it can only be part of the finger or it can be the whole finger.
There are different forms of Syndactyly that include simple, complex, complete, and incomplete. Simple syndactyly is when only the skin of the adjacent fingers or toes are fused (Syndactyly, N. d. ). Complex, which means apart from the skin, is when there is some of the bone that is between the toes or fingers that may also be fused (Syndactyly, N. d. ). Complete consists of when the digits are joined all the way to the ends of the finger (Syndactyly, N. d. ). Lastly, incomplete syndactyly means that the fingers are joined only for part of the length of the finger (Syndactyly, N. . ).
On a ite titled, Pediatric Plastic Surgery, Syndactyly is seen in one in every two thousand five hundred births, leading it to be the most common birth defect of the hands. This birth defect leads to webbing of the fingers or toes just like that of frogs. History of the condition: The genetic condition of syndactyly when seen alone without any other sort of birth defects, is said to be by doctors as simply an abnormality during the formation process of hands. The exact cause of Syndactyly has not yet been discovered.
This webbing condition cannot be developed later on in someone’s life, it must be present in an individual at birth. The prefix and suffix of the name Syndactyly comes from Greek descent; “syn” meaning together and “dactyly” standing for digits ( Jordan, Hindocha, Dhital, Saleh, Khan). The earliest form of syndactyly as a birth affect can be traced back to a famous Andalusian surgeon in the middle ages named Al-Zahrawi Ablulcasis; in the sixteenth century he described syndactyly as fingers stuck together (Jordan ). it has been believed to have a genetic component and is very common in some species, including birds.
Originally being classified in 1978; many diverse types of Syndactyly conditions have been discovered since (Jordan, Hindocha, Dhital, Saleh, Khan). In todays day, Syndactyly is in many textbooks because it being one of the most common hereditary limb malformation. When hand formation initially begins for a baby in the wound, it is then believed to be when the condition develops. The fingers split into separate fingers after forming a paddle at about the sixth or seventh week mark but the result of Syndactyly results if there are any abnormailities during this process and the fingers fail to develop into a normal form (Syndactyly).
The major, and obvious issue with this disorder is the functioning of the hands. Historical Significance: Why is Syndactyly important to understand? ; because in 2,500 births one person is affected by this disorder and with 50% affecting both hands (“Syndactyly”). The condition is stated to occur in isolation for no identifiable reason along with its’ inheritance. Some scientists have theories that the condition may be caused by a protein deficiency in the mother during pregnancy.
There are some typical diseases that show a pattern of association with this malformation like Downs syndrome, hereditary Syndactyly and Crouzon’s disease (“Syndactyly”). There is a way that Syndactyly can be detected which is by renatal ultrasound, although the accuracy of this method is not consistent. When a person has this malformation, the patients age and degree of the malformation will determine if the person will have a surgery to treat the abnormaility; all but the mildest cases are treated with surgery (Bae). When it comes to management of the Syndactyly condition is said to be low risk.
Genetic Background: Syndactyly, when it is a less severe case, is an autosomal dominant transmission with variable expression and penetrance (Jordan, Hindocha, Dhital, Saleh, Khan). On the other hand, the more severe cases of the condition appear to have utosomal recessive traits. Also, some scientists believe that some cases are from X-linked hereditary which further explains why the condition is more common in males and also why it may skip generations and form variable phenotypes in a reduced way (Jordan, Hindocha, Dhital, Saleh, Khan).
Their phenotypes depend on a large amount of genes and through research, scientists have found genes that code for certain types of Syndactyly while the molecular basis of other types remain unknown to this day (Jordan, Hindocha, Dhital, Saleh, Khan). Habitat and Niche: Syndactyly is two times more likely to occur in boys compared to irls and Caucasians are ten times more succeptable to the condition compared to African Americans (“Syndactyly”).
When it occurs without the passing down of a gene from a family member that had the condition, the possibilities of offspring receiving the affect is equal and simply there is no explanation for it. In terms of frequency of the affect in certain populations or locations; there is no data and research online is limited. Predisposition: Combined in all of the studies from cases that occur, roughly forty-percent of the time there is a family history of Syndactyly (“Syndactyly”).
A parent that has the condition, will have a fifty- percent chance of having Syndactyly as well (“Syndactyly”). The cause of this affect is either from a genetic abnormality or an environmental influence and the occurrence is rarely consistent from generation to generation. A mother could go through a pregnancy and do absolutely nothing wrong and some babies are just born with the affect and no research has shown that stress, diet or the environment has any effect on mothers during pregnancy to cause Syndactyly in their child (Syndactyly N. ).
The only constant situation that creates a higher chance of n individual obtaining this malformation is inheritance from a family member. Pathogenicity and epidemiology: When children are born with the Syndactyly condition you make think that they would be in pain at first but are not in pain unless in a severe cases; nails can dig into fingers which could then lead to pain but Syndactyly does not normally pose as a risk to ones health (Jordan, Hindocha, Dhital, Saleh, Khan).
After a child has been identified as having the condition they are sent to a specialist to decide whether the individuals abnormality needs to be treated or not. Depending on the degree and omplexity of the condition will determine the type of surgery that is needed for the patient; some cases do not need surgery at all. An individual may contain other syndromes associated with Syndactyly for example, Apert’s syndrome, Downs syndrome and head or face abnormalities (“Syndactyly”).
This condition is something that one is born with and cannot be transmitted from child to child; a mother could have done everything right during pregnancy and the condition could still just happen sometimes. Conclusion (Personal Reflection): This topic genuinely caught my interest just because of how nique it is, which lead to me wanting to understand the background and how the conditions occur.
After learning about the topic and the development of the condition, I realized that Syndactyly was unique but at the same time really common in people. It was a shock to me that the abnormality begins to develop in the mother during pregnancy but it can’t be detected before birth. I hope severe cases of Syndactyly can one day be detected early on and with advancements on the knowledge of Syndactyly and in medical technology, I am hopeful that the lives of those affected can be changed for the better one day.