Everything about Microcephaly totally explained
|
ICD9 = |
ICDO = |
Image = IMGP2147.JPG |
Caption = Boy with microcephaly surrounded by his classmates|
OMIM = 251200 |
OMIM_mult = |
MedlinePlus = |
eMedicineSubj = |
eMedicineTopic = |
DiseasesDB = |
MeshID = 22629 |
}}
Microcephaly is a neurological disorder in which the circumference of the head is significantly smaller than average for the person's age and sex. Microcephaly may be congenital or it may develop in the first few years of life. The disorder may stem from a wide variety of conditions that cause abnormal growth of the brain, or from syndromes associated with chromosomal abnormalities. Two copies of a loss-of-function mutation in one of the
microcephalin genes causes primary microcephaly.
Infants with microcephaly are born with either a normal or reduced head size. Subsequently the head fails to grow while the face continues to develop at a normal rate, producing a child with a small head and a receding forehead, and a loose, often wrinkled scalp. As the child grows older, the smallness of the
skull becomes more obvious, although the entire body also is often underweight and dwarfed. Development of motor functions and
speech may be delayed. Hyperactivity and mental retardation are common occurrences, although the degree of each varies. Convulsions may also occur. Motor ability varies, ranging from clumsiness in some to spastic
quadriplegia in others.
Generally there's no specific treatment for microcephaly. Treatment is symptomatic and supportive.
In general, life expectancy for individuals with microcephaly is reduced and the prognosis for normal brain function is poor. The prognosis varies depending on the presence of associated abnormalities.
Microcephaly
Microcephaly is a type of
cephalic disorder. This is a disorder characterized by a small brain and may be caused by a disturbance in the proliferation of nerve cells. Microcephaly may also be associated with maternal problems such as
alcoholism (which can result in the
fetal alcohol syndrome disability), diabetes, or
rubella (
German measles). A genetic factor may play a role in causing some cases of microcephaly. Affected newborns generally have striking neurological defects and seizures. Severely impaired intellectual development is common, but disturbances in motor functions may not appear until later in life.
Famous microcephalics
Further Information
Get more info on 'Microcephaly'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://microcephaly.totallyexplained.com">Microcephaly Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
