Microcephaly Definition, Causes and More
Article Sources
- 1. 'Microcephaly.' Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 25 June 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/microcephaly/symptoms-causes/syc-20375051.
- 2. 'Microcephaly: Boston Children's Hospital. Boston Childrens Hospital, www.childrenshospital.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions/m/microcephaly.
- 3. 'Default - Stanford Children's Health.' Stanford Children's Health - Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=microcephaly-90-P02610.
- 4. Hanzlik, Emily, and Joseph Gigante. 'Microcephaly.' Children (Basel, Switzerland), MDPI, 9 June 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5483622/.
- 5. 'Facts about Microcephaly.' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23 Oct. 2020, www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/microcephaly.html.
- 6. 'Microcephaly: Symptoms and Causes: Boston Children's Hospital.' Boston Childrens Hospital, www.childrenshospital.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions/m/microcephaly/symptoms-and-causes.
- 7. 'Microcephaly: Treatments: Boston Children's Hospital.' Boston Childrens Hospital, www.childrenshospital.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions/m/microcephaly/treatments.
- 8. 'Microcephaly: Frequently Asked Questions: Boston Children's Hospital.' Boston Childrens Hospital, www.childrenshospital.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions/m/microcephaly/frequently-asked-questions.
- 9. 'Facts about Craniosynostosis.' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23 Oct. 2020, www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/craniosynostosis.html.
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Postnatal Causes of Microcephaly
While most causes of microcephaly occur prior to birth, the condition may develop during infancy. This is known as acquired microcephaly. In some cases, the baby is born with a normal head circumference, but an underlying genetic abnormality, such as Rett syndrome, interferes with the proper growth of the brain.3‘Default - Stanford Children’s Health.’ Stanford Children’s Health - Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=microcephaly-90-P02610.,4Hanzlik, Emily, and Joseph Gigante. ‘Microcephaly.’ Children (Basel, Switzerland), MDPI, 9 June 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5483622/.
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Brain infections, interrupted flow of oxygen to the brain and trauma resulting in brain injury are some other possible causes of acquired microcephaly.6‘Microcephaly: Symptoms and Causes: Boston Children’s Hospital.’ Boston Childrens Hospital, www.childrenshospital.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions/m/microcephaly/symptoms-and-causes. Sometimes, the exact cause is unknown.
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