Table of Contents
- Overview
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
Microcephaly is a condition in which a person's head is significantly smaller than normal for their age and sex, based on standardized charts. Head size is measured as the distance around the top of the head.
Considerations
Microcephaly most often occurs because the brain fails to grow at a normal rate. Skull growth is determined by brain growth. Brain growth takes place while in the womb and during infancy.
Conditions that affect brain growth can cause microcephaly. These include infections, genetic disorders, and severe malnutrition.
Common Causes
These conditions cause microcephaly:
- Cornelia de Lange syndrome
Cri du chat syndrome - Down syndrome
Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome - Seckel syndrome
- Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome
Trisomy 13 Trisomy 18
These additional conditions may indirectly cause microcephaly:
- Uncontrolled phenylketonuria (PKU) in the mother
- Methylmercury poisoning
Congenital rubella Congenital toxoplasmosis -
Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) - Use of certain drugs during pregnancy, especially alcohol and phenytoin
- Malnutrition
Review Date: 11/18/2009
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of
General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
School of Medicine; Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant
Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of
Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director,
A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
