Microcephaly
Key points
- Microcephaly describes a head size (measured as the distance around the top of the head) significantly below normal for a person's age and sex, based on standardized charts.
- Microcephaly most often occurs because of failure of the brain to grow at a normal rate.
- There are no specific home care procedures for microcephaly.
- Microcephaly is often diagnosed at birth or during routine well-baby examinations when the infant's height, weight, and head circumference is measured.
Definition
Microcephaly describes a head size (measured as the distance around the top of the head) significantly below normal for a person's age and sex, based on standardized charts.
Considerations
Microcephaly most often occurs because of failure of the brain to grow at a normal rate. Skull growth is determined by brain expansion, which takes place during the normal growth of the brain during pregnancy and infancy.
Conditions that affect brain growth can cause microcephaly, including infections, genetic disorders, and severe malnutrition.
Common Causes
Primary Causes:
- Down's syndrome
- Cri du chat syndrome
- Seckel's syndrome
- Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome
- Trisomy 13
- Trisomy 18
- Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome
- Cornelia de Lange syndrome
Secondary Causes:
- uncontrolled maternal phenylketonuria (PKU)
- methylmercury poisoning
- maternal drug use
- malnutrition
Home Care
There are no specific home care procedures for microcephaly. Care depends on the condition that caused the microcephaly.
Call your health care provider if
Written and revised by
Andrey Nailor, M.D.
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