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Microcephaly is a birth defect that causes a baby to be born with a smaller-than-normal head due to slowed or stopped brain development. It can be caused by various factors and treatment focuses on supportive therapies to help the child reach their full potential. Severe cases may result in mental retardation, delayed motor function and speech, and coordination difficulties. Parents must plan for long-term care and financial support for their child.
Microcephaly literally means “small head”. Microcephaly is a birth defect that causes a baby to be born with a smaller-than-normal head, usually because the brain has slowed or stopped developing.
Microcephaly can be caused by a number of things. It can be caused by the mother contracting rubella or chickenpox during pregnancy, drug abuse, untreated phenylketonuria (PKU), or the baby’s genetic disorders, including Down syndrome and other metabolic disorders. It usually isn’t diagnosed until after birth.
Microcephaly can range in severity from little or no damage to a child with a very poorly functioning brain. It just depends on the patient. Treatment consists mainly of supportive therapies aimed at helping the child reach his or her full mental potential. A pediatric neurologist is usually the head of a treatment team that includes physical and occupational therapists, along with speech therapy and academic assistance at school.
A baby born with microcephaly can develop almost normally. If your child grows and develops normally in other ways, microcephaly therapy will help your child lead a normal life.
For more severe cases of microcephaly, treatment is largely supportive and focuses on helping the patient get as much as possible while managing the myriad symptoms that can accompany this disorder. Seizures are common, as are mental retardation, delayed motor function and speech, short stature, and coordination and balance difficulties. Again, the severity of the disorder determines the child’s prognosis. Some patients will never be able to live or work independently, assuming they live as young adults. Parents need to plan for this eventuality and arrange counseling for themselves and their children to help them cope with long-term illnesses in the family.
Parents must also provide financially for their children if they are disabled. This will ensure that patients receive quality care, even after the death of their parents or next of kin. Planning current treatment, care so that the child can reach his or her full potential, and having financial arrangements in place are the best gifts a parent can give a child with microcephaly.
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