Jejunal Atresia is a rare genetic disorder. Patients with this disorder are born with a partial absence of the fold of the stomach membrane that connects the small intestine to the back wall of the abdomen. As a result, one of the three portions of the small intestine (the jejunal) twists around one of the arteries of the colon called the marginal artery and causes a blockage (atresia). Symptoms in individuals with this disorder include vomiting, a swollen abdomen, and constipation.
Jejunal Atresia is a birth defect in which the fold of the stomach membrane needed to connect the small intestine to the back wall of the abdomen is, in part, absent. As a result, a portion of the small intestine (the jejunal) twists about one of the arteries to the colon. This twisting may be so severe that the artery in question is completely blocked (atrasia). It is sometimes compared to an apple peel in appearance.
Symptoms of Jejunal Atresia may be: vomiting a bitter, yellow-green secretion of the liver (bile); an expanded or swollen upper middle part of the abdomen just below the breastbone (epigastric distension); and an absence of stools after birth.
Jejunal Atresia may be inherited as an autosomal recessive trait, or it may occur sporadically with no known cause. Human traits, including the classic genetic diseases, are the product of the interaction of two genes, one received from the father and one from the mother. In recessive disorders, the condition does not appear unless a person inherits the same defective gene for the same trait from each parent. If an individual receives one normal gene and one gene for the disease, the person will be a carrier for the disease, but usually will not show symptoms. The risk of transmitting the disease to the children of a couple, both of whom are carriers for a recessive disorder, is 25 percent. Fifty percent of their children risk being carriers of the disease, but generally will not show symptoms of the disorder. Twenty-five percent of their children may receive both normal genes, one from each parent, and will be genetically normal (for that particular trait). The risk is the same for each pregnancy.
Jejunal Atresia is a very rare disorder that affects males and females in equal numbers. There have been approximately 57 cases reported in the medical literature.
Jejunal Atresia can be determined prenatally by testing the amniotic fluid. This procedure is suggested in cases when a sibling has been born with the disorder.
Surgery, to repair the intestinal obstruction, is performed as soon as possible after delivery. Parenteral nutrition (food given by a vein or directly to the stomach, but not by mouth) is given for a period of time.
Genetic counseling may be of benefit for patients and their families. Other treatment is symptomatic and supportive.
Research on birth defects and their causes is ongoing. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is sponsoring the Human Genome Project which is aimed at mapping every gene in the human body and learning why that sometimes malfunction. It is hoped that this new knowledge will lead to prevention and treatment of birth defects in the future.
Information on current clinical trials is posted on the Internet at www.clinicaltrials.gov. All studies receiving U.S. government funding, and some supported by private industry, are posted on this government web site.
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McKusick VA., ed. Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press; Entry No: 243600. Creation Date: 6/3/86. Last Edit Date: 11/9/98.
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