Microcephaly

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About Microcephaly:

It is a rare neurological condition in which an infant’s head is much smaller than the heads of other children of the same age and sex.
Sometimes detected at birth, microcephaly often occurs when there is a problem with brain development in the womb or when the brain stops growing after birth.
It can be caused by a variety of genetic and environmental factors. Children with microcephaly often have developmental issues.
Most children with microcephaly also have a small brain, poor motor function, poor speech, and abnormal facial features, and are intellectually disabled.
The most common causes include:
- Infections during pregnancy: toxoplasmosis (caused by a parasite found in undercooked meat), Campylobacter pylori, rubella, herpes, syphilis, cytomegalovirus, HIV and Zika;
- Exposure to toxic chemicals: Maternal exposure to heavy metals like arsenic and mercury, alcohol, radiation, and smoking;
- Pre- and perinatal injuries to the developing brain (hypoxia-ischemia, trauma);
- Genetic abnormalities such as Down syndrome; and severe malnutrition during fetal life.
Symptoms: Many babies born with microcephaly may demonstrate no other symptoms at birth but go on to develop epilepsy, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, hearing loss and vision problems.
Treatment: There is no specific treatment for microcephaly.

Q1 What are genetic disorders?

Genetic disorders occur when a mutation (a harmful change to a gene, also known as a pathogenic variant) affects your genes or when you have the wrong amount of genetic material.

Source: How an altered protein and fussy neurons conspire to cause microcephaly