• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

Birth defects that scared you

Turbocks

Well-Known Member
So for a short time I was obsessed with looking up all kinds of scary diseases and birth defects (with images disables of course) and I realised how messed up human genetics can truly be when something goes wrong.

The worst thing I have seen and one of the only birth defects I have seen images of would be the incredibly rare and deadly genetic birth defect called harlequin type ichtyosis.

Horrifying doesn't even begin to describe
just how unnatural everything about this defect looks and feels.

To begin with the general appearance
the skin is much thicker and contracted than normal and greyish instead of pink along with diamond shaped bloody cracks from top to toe thus giving the infant the appearance of wearing armour made out of it's own skin except it's harming instead of protecting.

Facial features such as the shape of the eyes are also incredibly deformed with things like a mouth that looks like that of a fish and eyes covered in blood that the infant cannot close because the eyelids are turned inwards which is the cause of the bleeding and the mouth cannot be closed either because the lips have been turned inwards like the eyelids.

The ears and nose are also commonly deformed or underdeveloped in some way or another and sometimes they are missing altogether.

Having unusually small arms and legs is also common with this defect.

Fingers and toes are also swollen
and they may also be fused together which can be fixed through surgery later on.

Many infants with this defect don't live very long mainly because the fatality risk is as high as 50% caused by the high risk of bacterial infection but also problems with the lungs being pressured too much and failing because of the thick layer of skin.

In fact It's so horrifying and sad that I can't even show it to you because
I actually ended up having nightmares about this that featured dozens if not hundreds of dead /stillborn children with this defect hanging dead from meathooks attached to a roof.

My reaction to seeing it was somewhat a mix of this
and

I have read about some pretty freaky ones as well such as cyclopia which is probably one of the saddest ones out there and also one of the deadliest defects.

In terms of what you have seen when it comes to unusual birth defects what is the most horrifying one you have seen while browsing the web or studying at medical school?.
 
So for a short time I was obsessed with looking up all kinds of scary diseases and birth defects (with images disables of course) and I realised how messed up human genetics can truly be when something goes wrong.

The worst thing I have seen and one of the only birth defects I have seen images of would be the incredibly rare and deadly genetic birth defect called harlequin type ichtyosis.

Horrifying doesn't even begin to describe
just how unnatural everything about this defect looks and feels.

To begin with the general appearance
the skin is much thicker and contracted than normal and greyish instead of pink along with diamond shaped bloody cracks from top to toe thus giving the infant the appearance of wearing armour made out of it's own skin except it's harming instead of protecting.

Facial features such as the shape of the eyes are also incredibly deformed with things like a mouth that looks like that of a fish and eyes covered in blood that the infant cannot close because the eyelids are turned inwards which is the cause of the bleeding and the mouth cannot be closed either because the lips have been turned inwards like the eyelids.

The ears and nose are also commonly deformed or underdeveloped in some way or another and sometimes they are missing altogether.

Having unusually small arms and legs is also common with this defect.

Fingers and toes are also swollen
and they may also be fused together which can be fixed through surgery later on.

Many infants with this defect don't live very long mainly because the fatality risk is as high as 50% caused by the high risk of bacterial infection but also problems with the lungs being pressured too much and failing because of the thick layer of skin.

In fact It's so horrifying and sad that I can't even show it to you because
I actually ended up having nightmares about this that featured dozens if not hundreds of dead /stillborn children with this defect hanging dead from meathooks attached to a roof.

My reaction to seeing it was somewhat a mix of this
and

I have read about some pretty freaky ones as well such as cyclopia which is probably one of the saddest ones out there and also one of the deadliest defects.

In terms of what you have seen when it comes to unusual birth defects what is the most horrifying one you have seen while browsing the web or studying at medical school?.

i would say my own Lipp palett cleft (dont worry after MANY tripps and MANY surgical procedurers they actually managed to get it right. And if you dont look carefully you wont see it on me anymore BUT it took me my entire childhood up to teenager. And i still cant look at Pictures of me when i lay in that horrible small bed In a Long line of same beds with my face all coverd to keep things up and together & clean and god knows what. And my arms in some tubes to prevent me from touching my face (i got there right after birth and left 3 years old ) Got my MBD diagnos at 4 when they discovered i also had problems in that department :rolleyes:
 
i would say my own Lipp palett cleft (dont worry after MANY tripps and MANY surgical procedurers they actually managed to get it right. And if you dont look carefully you wont see it on me anymore BUT it took me my entire childhood up to teenager. And i still cant look at Pictures of me when i lay in that horrible small bed In a Long line of same beds with my face all coverd to keep things up and together & clean and god knows what. And my arms in some tubes to prevent me from touching my face (i got there right after birth and left 3 years old ) Got my MBD diagnos at 4 when they discovered i also had problems in that department :rolleyes:

So glad you survived this. ☺
 
I've looked at pictures in my husband's medical books that gave me nightmares. I made him put the books away while our kids were young because I didn't want them to freak out. I've seen some horrible dermatological diseases in textbooks, too.
 
This is not horrifying or hideous, but I have a friend whose daughter has Downs Syndrome. My friend posted some photos this morning on Facebook which showed very autistic traits on her daughter. Like organizing, sorting and lining up her toys. Also talking about her inability to sleep.

I sent my friend a message about this, but don't know if this was the right thing to do. She had a lot of comments posted about how cute it was that her daughter was organizing and lining up her toys. It seems unlikely that her pediatrician has not commented about this, but maybe Downs Syndrome has been their only concern?
 
Last edited:
Victims of thalidomide were born with awful birth defects in Europe in the 1950s and 60s. That drug was never approved or dispensed in the US but plenty of American military soldiers' wives were prescribed it while stationed in Germany.
 
This is not horrifying or hideous, but I have a friend whose daughter has Downs Syndrome. My friend posted some photos this morning on Facebook which showed very autistic traits on her daughter. Like organizing, sorting and lining up her toys. Also talking about her inability to sleep.

I sent my friend a message about this, but don't know if this was the right thing to do. She had a lot of comments posted about how cute it was that her daughter was organizing and lining up her toys. It seems unlikely that her pediatrician has not commented about this, but maybe Downs Syndrome has been their only concern?

Actually Current research suggest between 8 and 18 percent of individuals with Down syndrome may also have autism so its not that far of BUT of course only a cert evaluation can determan this & its also what age said child is in. Sleep disorders are also known co morbid diagnosis to many NP diagnosis (incl ADHD as well as ASD ) so thats not a shore sign and the lining up toys is ONE of the criterias you need to have to get a diagnose and can have all difrent reasons why she does this. Also with Downs syndrome its very difficult to line out from the Downs syndrome so thats perhaps why they havent moved forward on this.
 
Actually Current research suggest between 8 and 18 percent of individuals with Down syndrome may also have autism so its not that far of BUT of course only a cert evaluation can determan this & its also what age said child is in. Sleep disorders are also known co morbid diagnosis to many NP diagnosis (incl ADHD as well as ASD ) so thats not a shore sign and the lining up toys is ONE of the criterias you need to have to get a diagnose and can have all difrent reasons why she does this. Also with Downs syndrome its very difficult to line out from the Downs syndrome so thats perhaps why they havent moved forward on this.

Well hopefully she wont take offense to my messaging her. One day I took notice of the way I had lined up toiletries on the counter in my bathroom, and I had organized and lined everything up in the same manner. And I am 61 and still doing this. Even I think this is strange.
 
Well hopefully she wont take offense to my messaging her. One day I took notice of the way I had lined up toiletries on the counter in my bathroom, and I had organized and lined everything up in the same manner. And I am 61 and still doing this. Even I think this is strange.

As far as i can remember thats pretty mush one criteria i dont have out of most of the rest :rolleyes: BUT i have noticed that i get very disturbed when something isent as it use to be lined up SO it seems i developed that one as well only in lesser scale :rolleyes:
 
harlequin type ichtyosis

*looks it up*

ZOewehT.gif
 
As far as i can remember thats pretty mush one criteria i dont have out of most of the rest :rolleyes: BUT i have noticed that i get very disturbed when something isent as it use to be lined up SO it seems i developed that one as well only in lesser scale :rolleyes:

Sarah, after our earlier.conversation I spoke with my friend. She confided that she believes that she is on the autism spectrum. She said she had noticed similar traits in her kids, but that doctors had not picked up on it. I shared my experiences with her, and she indicated many experiences such as social anxiety, sensory input overload, and insomnia applies to her.

I think this may be a situation where doctors failed to pick up on symptoms in a woman with ASD. By the way, she is married, with two girls, and teaches at a major university in the United States. We graduated from the same. Doctoral program in 2014. I suggested that she discuss with her doctor if she wanted to pursue a diagnosis.
 
Sarah, after our earlier.conversation I spoke with my friend. She confided that she believes that she is on the autism spectrum. She said she had noticed similar traits in her kids, but that doctors had not picked up on it. I shared my experiences with her, and she indicated many experiences such as social anxiety, sensory input overload, and insomnia applies to her.

I think this may be a situation where doctors failed to pick up on symptoms in a woman with ASD. By the way, she is married, with two girls, and teaches at a major university in the United States. We graduated from the same. Doctoral program in 2014. I suggested that she discuss with her doctor if she wanted to pursue a diagnosis.

With us females we are often diagnosed later in life as we are better in masking and less out showing in our ways of displaying our Tics. Other words we show our tics in different way then males.
 
My friend posted some photos this morning on Facebook which showed very autistic traits on her daughter. Like organizing, sorting and lining up her toys. Also talking about her inability to sleep.

I sent my friend a message about this, but don't know if this was the right thing to do. She had a lot of comments posted about how cute it was that her daughter was organizing and lining up her toys. It seems unlikely that her pediatrician has not commented about this, but maybe Downs Syndrome has been their only concern?
Dr. Lorna Wing said that a person can have both Downs & autism at the same time.
 
Baby born with largest facial tumor comprised of excessive lymphatic fluid.
Discovered on ultrasound before birth.
Doctors had to remove shortly after birth or she would suffocate.

Siamese twins is a scary birth defect also.
Surgery needed for that is unbelievable. Usually one of the doubles does not make it.
 

New Threads

Top Bottom