Microcephaly

Key POINTS

  • Microcephaly may be caused by bug with brain development or being exposed to alcohol and certain drugs, chemicals and infections in the womb.

  • Zika virus infection during pregnancy causes microcephaly. If you lot're pregnant and think you may have Zika, call your health intendance provider.

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

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

What is microcephaly?

Microcephaly is a nascency defect in which a babe'southward head is smaller than expected, compared to babies of the same sexual activity and age. Babies with mild microcephaly often don't accept problems other than small caput size. A infant with severe microcephaly has a head that's much smaller than expected and may have more serious health problems than babies with balmy microcephaly. Severe microcephaly can happen if a baby's brain doesn't develop properly during pregnancy or if the encephalon starts to develop correctly but is damaged during pregnancy.

Birth defects are health weather condition that are present at birth. Nascence defects modify the shape or function of one or more parts of the body. They can cause problems in overall health, how the body develops or in how the body works. Some babies have microcephaly along with other nascence defects. Microcephaly affects about 2 to 12 in 10,000 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 tin happen when a baby's brain doesn't develop properly during pregnancy or stops growing after birth. Nosotros don't know for sure what causes microcephaly in near babies. But we practise 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 development. This is the most common cause of microcephaly. Genes are part of your body's cells. They shop instructions for the fashion your trunk grows and works. Genes are passed from parents to children.
  • Chromosomal weather condition, like Down's syndrome. Chromosomes are the structures that concur genes. Babies with chromosomal conditions have a problem in one or more of their chromosomes.
  • Untreated maternal PKU. This is a condition passed through genes in which a adult female's torso can't intermission down an amino acrid called phenylalanine. Most women with PKU tin can have healthy babies if they follow a special meal plan that'south low in phenylalanine.

If your baby's microcephaly is caused past a gene change or chromosomal status, you lot may want to see a genetic counselor. This is a person who is trained to assist yous understand almost genes, birth defects and other medical weather that run in families, and how they can affect your wellness and your babe'southward health.

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 (likewise called High german measles), toxoplasmosis or cytomegalovirus

Brain problems

  • Cerebral anoxia. This is when a baby's brain doesn't get enough oxygen. Complications during pregnancy, birth or later on nativity tin cause problems with oxygen period to a infant's encephalon.
  • Craniosynostosis. This is a birth defect in which the joints (too called sutures) between the bones in a baby'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 harm.

Metabolism or nutrition bug

  • Metabolic disorders. These are wellness conditions that affect a torso's metabolism. Metabolism is the way your trunk changes food into the energy information technology needs to use oxygen, digest nutrient and abound.
  • Astringent malnutrition in the womb. This means a baby doesn't get enough food or nutrients during pregnancy.

What can you practice to help forestall microcephaly in your babe?

You lot tin't always prevent microcephaly in your baby. But there are things yous tin do to help reduce your infant's chances of having it. Hither's how:

  • Don't drink alcohol. Alcohol includes beer, vino and liquor.
  • Don't utilize street drugs or abuse prescription drugs. Tell your provider if you need aid to quit using drugs.
  • Protect yourself from harmful chemicals. Article of clothing gloves or a face mask if you have to use them. Open a window or door to let make clean air in.
  • If you have PKU, go handling and follow your meal plan.
  • Protect yourself from infections.

Here's what you can exercise to help 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 have sexual activity. If you lot do accept sex, use a prophylactic. If you piece of work in a health care setting, follow safety rules to protect yourself from exposure.
  • Talk to your provider to make sure your vaccinations are up to date.
  • Have rubber sexual activity to protect y'all against sexually transmitted diseases (also called STDs) and other infections, including Zika. Prophylactic sex activity ways using a condom if you have sex with more than one partner. If your male or female partner may exist infected with Zika, use a condom every fourth dimension yous have sex or don't have sex at all.
  • Wash your hands oftentimes, peculiarly after using the bathroom, sneezing or coughing, changing a diaper or preparing food.
  • Don't swallow raw or undercooked food, including lunch meats. Melt meat, chicken and fish until done. Wash food before you cook or consume information technology.
  • Don't bear on cat poop or modify a true cat's litter box to assist protect you from toxoplasmosis.
  • Get regular dental checkups to help preclude glue infections.

How do you know if your baby has microcephaly?

You may find out your baby has microcephaly during pregnancy or after he's born. During pregnancy, your health care provider may diagnose microcephaly using ultrasound late in the 2d trimester or early in the 3rd trimester. Ultrasound is a prenatal test that uses audio waves and a estimator screen to show a picture of your infant inside the womb.

Later on birth, a infant with microcephaly may accept these signs and symptoms:

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

To diagnose microcephaly after birth, your baby's provider measures your baby's head circumference during a physical exam. Head circumference is the distance effectually your baby's head. Your babe'due south provider then compares your babe'due south measurement to that of other babies of the same sex activity and historic period. Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to see growth charts that include head circumference information for babies and children. He also may practise these tests:

  • Blood tests
  • Computed tomography scan (also called CT or CAT scan). CT scan uses special X-ray equipment and powerful computers to make pictures of the inside of your babe'due south brain.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (also called MRI). MRI is a medical test that makes a detailed motion picture of the inside of your body.

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 short. Only some babies with microcephaly may have lifelong health problems, including:

  • Cerebral palsy (also chosen CP). This is a group of conditions that affects the parts of the brain that control muscles. This can cause problems with movement, posture (standing up directly) and balance.
  • Congenital Zika syndrome. This is a grouping of health atmospheric condition nowadays at nascency associated with Zika infection during pregnancy. Built Zika syndrome includes birth defects (like microcephaly) and other health and development problems. Zika Care Connect is a website that offers data about caring for babies and children with congenital Zika syndrome. Information technology also offers a database of providers who intendance for these babies and children. You can search the database by things like location, kind of provider, the language the provider speaks and the insurance the provider takes.
  • Dwarfism or short height. Dwarfism (existence a "little person") is a condition in which a person is very brusque, less than 4 feet, 10 inches alpine as an developed.
  • Face deformities
  • Feeding bug, like trouble swallowing
  • Issues with hearing or vision
  • Hyperactivity (being very active)
  • Seizures
  • Intellectual and developmental disabilities. These are problems with how the brain works that can cause a person to have trouble or delays in concrete development, learning, communicating, taking care 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 activity that almost children can do at a certain age. Milestones include sitting, walking, talking, having social skills and having thinking skills.

Babies with severe microcephaly tin have more of these problems than babies with balmy microcephaly. Severe microcephaly may be life-threatening. All babies with microcephaly need regular medical cheque-ups to track their growth and development.

How is microcephaly treated?

There's no cure for microcephaly. Handling options depend on how severe your baby'due south condition is. Babies with mild microcephaly often don't have other health problems, but they yet need regular check-ups and then their health care provider tin can check their growth and development.

Babies with severe microcephaly may need special intendance and treatment. Babies with craniosynostosis may need to have surgery to help separate the fused bones in their heads and requite the skull the ability to aggrandize equally the brain grows and develops. Some babies need to take medicines to treat seizures or other wellness problems. If your infant has microcephaly and has developmental delays, he should see a child neurologist. This is a doctor who treats the brain, spine and nerves in children. Getting early on intervention services every bit soon equally possible can help improve your child'due south development. These services tin help children from birth through 3 years old learn important skills. Services include therapy to aid a child talk, walk, learn self-help skills and collaborate with others. Visit the Early Babyhood Technical Assistance Center to discover your state's contact information for early intervention services.

More information

  • Female parent to Baby
  • Zika Care Connect

See likewise: Zika virus and pregnancy, Congenital Zika syndrome

Concluding reviewed: April 24, 2017