Microcephaly

Key POINTS

  • Microcephaly may exist caused past problems with brain evolution or being exposed to alcohol and certain drugs, chemicals and infections in the womb.

  • Zika virus infection during pregnancy causes microcephaly. If you're significant and call back you may have Zika, call your health care provider.

  • Some babies with microcephaly may have lifelong health problems, including intellectual and developmental disabilities.

  • Treatment for microcephaly depends on your baby's condition.

What is microcephaly?

Microcephaly is a birth defect in which a baby's head is smaller than expected, compared to babies of the aforementioned sex and age. Babies with mild microcephaly oftentimes don't accept problems other than small head size. A infant with severe microcephaly has a head that'southward much smaller than expected and may have more serious health problems than babies with mild microcephaly. Severe microcephaly tin happen if a baby's brain doesn't develop properly during pregnancy or if the brain starts to develop correctly but is damaged during pregnancy.

Birth defects are health conditions that are nowadays at birth. Nativity defects change the shape or function of one or more parts of the trunk. They can cause problems in overall wellness, how the body develops or in how the body works. Some babies have microcephaly along with other birth defects. Microcephaly affects most 2 to 12 in ten,000 babies (less than 1 percent) in the United States.

What causes microcephaly in your babe?

During pregnancy, your baby's head grows as her brain grows. Microcephaly can happen when a baby's brain doesn't develop properly during pregnancy or stops growing after nascence. Nosotros don't know for sure what causes microcephaly in nigh babies. Just nosotros practice know that these things may cause microcephaly in some babies:

Genes and chromosomes

  • Changes in genes (also called mutations) that affect the brain's growth and evolution. This is the most common crusade of microcephaly. Genes are function of your body'due south cells. They store instructions for the way your body grows and works. Genes are passed from parents to children.
  • Chromosomal atmospheric condition, similar Down's syndrome. Chromosomes are the structures that concur genes. Babies with chromosomal conditions have a problem in i or more of their chromosomes.
  • Untreated maternal PKU. This is a condition passed through genes in which a woman's body can't pause down an amino acid called phenylalanine. Nigh women with PKU can have salubrious babies if they follow a special meal plan that's low in phenylalanine.

If your baby's microcephaly is caused by a factor change or chromosomal condition, y'all may desire to see a genetic advisor. This is a person who is trained to help you understand about genes, birth defects and other medical conditions that run in families, and how they can touch on your health and your babe'due south wellness.

Exposures in the womb

  • Beingness exposed to alcohol or certain drugs or chemicals in the womb
  • Being exposed to certain infections in the womb, including Zika virus, chickenpox (also called varicella), rubella (also called German measles), toxoplasmosis or cytomegalovirus

Brain problems

  • Cerebral anoxia. This is when a baby's encephalon doesn't become plenty oxygen. Complications during pregnancy, birth or after birth can crusade problems with oxygen catamenia to a baby's brain.
  • Craniosynostosis. This is a birth defect in which the joints (also called sutures) between the bones in a babe's skull fuse together likewise early, earlier the brain stops growing. This can cause problems with brain development.
  • Traumatic brain injury. This happens when a head injury causes brain damage.

Metabolism or nutrition problems

  • Metabolic disorders. These are wellness conditions that impact a body's metabolism. Metabolism is the manner your trunk changes nutrient into the energy it needs to use oxygen, digest nutrient and abound.
  • Severe malnutrition in the womb. This ways a baby doesn't become plenty food or nutrients during pregnancy.

What can you do to help prevent microcephaly in your baby?

You tin't always prevent microcephaly in your baby. Only there are things you can do to assistance reduce your baby's chances of having it. Here's how:

  • Don't drinkable booze. Alcohol includes beer, wine and liquor.
  • Don't utilise street drugs or corruption prescription drugs. Tell your provider if you need help to quit using drugs.
  • Protect yourself from harmful chemicals. Article of clothing gloves or a confront mask if y'all have to use them. Open a window or door to let clean air in.
  • If y'all have PKU, get treatment and follow your repast plan.
  • Protect yourself from infections.

Hither'southward what you can do to assist protect yourself from infections before and during pregnancy:

  • Protect yourself from Zika. Don't travel to a Zika-affected area unless absolutely necessary. Protect yourself from mosquito bites. If your male or female partner may be infected with Zika, don't accept sexual activity. If you practice have sex, employ a condom. If you piece of work in a health intendance setting, follow safety rules to protect yourself from exposure.
  • Talk to your provider to make certain your vaccinations are up to date.
  • Have safe sexual practice to protect you against sexually transmitted diseases (also called STDs) and other infections, including Zika. Safe sexual activity means using a condom if yous accept sex with more than i partner. If your male person or female person partner may be infected with Zika, use a condom every time yous have sex or don't have sex at all.
  • Wash your easily often, especially later on using the bath, sneezing or coughing, changing a diaper or preparing food.
  • Don't eat raw or undercooked food, including lunch meats. Cook meat, chicken and fish until done. Wash food before you lot cook or eat it.
  • Don't touch cat poop or change a cat's litter box to help protect you lot from toxoplasmosis.
  • Become regular dental checkups to help preclude gum infections.

How do you know if your babe has microcephaly?

You may observe out your baby has microcephaly during pregnancy or after he'south built-in. During pregnancy, your health care provider may diagnose microcephaly using ultrasound belatedly in the second trimester or early in the 3rd trimester. Ultrasound is a prenatal test that uses sound waves and a figurer screen to evidence a motion-picture show of your baby inside the womb.

After nascence, a baby with microcephaly may accept these signs and symptoms:

  • Small head size
  • Failure to thrive (slow weight gain and growth)
  • High-pitched crying
  • Petty appetite or problems with feeding
  • Muscle spasms

To diagnose microcephaly after nativity, your baby'due south provider measures your baby's head circumference during a physical exam. Head circumference is the altitude effectually your baby'south head. Your baby's provider so compares your baby'southward measurement to that of other babies of the same sex activity and age. Visit the Centers for Illness Control and Prevention (CDC) to meet growth charts that include caput circumference information for babies and children. He likewise may do these tests:

  • Blood tests
  • Computed tomography scan (likewise called CT or CAT browse). CT scan uses special 10-ray equipment and powerful computers to make pictures of the within of your baby'south brain.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (as well called MRI). MRI is a medical test that makes a detailed picture of the within of your trunk.

What kinds of health problems can babies with microcephaly have?

Some babies with microcephaly have no health complications other than having a small head and being brusk. But some babies with microcephaly may take lifelong health problems, including:

  • Cognitive palsy (also called CP). This is a group of weather that affects the parts of the brain that control muscles. This can cause bug with movement, posture (standing up direct) and residual.
  • Congenital Zika syndrome. This is a grouping of health weather present at birth associated with Zika infection during pregnancy. Congenital Zika syndrome includes nascence defects (like microcephaly) and other health and development issues. Zika Care Connect is a website that offers data about caring for babies and children with congenital Zika syndrome. It also offers a database of providers who care for these babies and children. Yous can search the database past things like location, kind of provider, the language the provider speaks and the insurance the provider takes.
  • Dwarfism or short height. Dwarfism (being a "little person") is a condition in which a person is very short, less than 4 feet, 10 inches tall equally an developed.
  • Face up deformities
  • Feeding problems, like trouble swallowing
  • Bug with hearing or vision
  • Hyperactivity (being very active)
  • Seizures
  • Intellectual and developmental disabilities. These are issues with how the encephalon works that can cause a person to take trouble or delays in physical development, learning, communicating, taking intendance of himself or getting forth with others. Some babies with microcephaly don't reach developmental milestones when expected. A developmental milestone is a skill or action that most children can do at a certain age. Milestones include sitting, walking, talking, having social skills and having thinking skills.

Babies with severe microcephaly can have more than of these bug than babies with mild microcephaly. Severe microcephaly may exist life-threatening. All babies with microcephaly demand regular medical cheque-ups to rails their growth and evolution.

How is microcephaly treated?

At that place's no cure for microcephaly. Treatment options depend on how severe your infant's condition is. Babies with mild microcephaly often don't have other health problems, simply they notwithstanding need regular check-ups so their health care provider tin check their growth and evolution.

Babies with astringent microcephaly may need special care and treatment. Babies with craniosynostosis may need to accept surgery to help separate the fused bones in their heads and give the skull the ability to expand every bit the brain grows and develops. Some babies need to accept medicines to care for seizures or other wellness issues. If your babe has microcephaly and has developmental delays, he should run into a kid neurologist. This is a doctor who treats the encephalon, spine and nerves in children. Getting early intervention services equally before long equally possible can help improve your kid'south development. These services can help children from birth through 3 years old learn important skills. Services include therapy to help a child talk, walk, learn self-help skills and interact with others. Visit the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center to detect your state'southward contact information for early intervention services.

More information

  • Mother to Infant
  • Zika Care Connect

See likewise: Zika virus and pregnancy, Congenital Zika syndrome

Terminal reviewed: April 24, 2017