Microcephaly is a neurological disorder in which the circumference of the head is significantly smaller than average for the person's age and sex. Microcephaly may be congenital or it may develop in the first few years of life. The disorder may stem from a wide variety of conditions that cause abnormal growth of the brain, or from syndromes associated with chromosomal abnormalities. Two copies of a loss-of-function mutation in one of the microcephalin genes causes primary microcephaly. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 535 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 803 pixel, file size: 317 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Kokuvi Aglago, a seventeen-year-old student at the Volta School for the Mentally Challenged who has microcephaly. ... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) is a coding of diseases and signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or diseases, as classified by the World Health Organization (WHO). ... // Q00-Q99 - Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q07) Congenital malformations of the nervous system (Q00) Anencephaly and similar malformations (Q01) Encephalocele (Q02) Microcephaly (Q03) Congenital hydrocephalus (Q04) Other congenital malformations of brain (Q05) Spina bifida (Q06) Other congenital malformations of spinal cord (Q07) Other congenital malformations of nervous... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... The Mendelian Inheritance in Man project is a database that catalogues all the known diseases with a genetic component, and - when possible - links them to the relevant genes in the human genome. ... Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. ... Microcephalin is a gene determining human brain size in molecular evolution. ...

Infants with microcephaly are born with either a normal or reduced head size. Subsequently the head fails to grow while the face continues to develop at a normal rate, producing a child with a small head and a receding forehead, and a loose, often wrinkled scalp. As the child grows older, the smallness of the skull becomes more obvious, although the entire body also is often underweight and dwarfed. Development of motor functions and speech may be delayed. Hyperactivity and mental retardation are common occurrences, although the degree of each varies. Convulsions may also occur. Motor ability varies, ranging from clumsiness in some to spastic quadriplegia in others. A human infant In basic English usage, an infant is defined as a human child at the youngest stage of life, especially before they can walk or simply a child before the age of one[1] (see also child and adolescent). ... It has been suggested that temporal fenestra be merged into this article or section. ... Speech communication is the aural form of transferring ideas, thoughts, instructions and/or directives utilizing the speakers vocal chords and mouth to stimulate the air, thus causing waves of sound to strike the audible receptors of the hearer, resulting in a transformation back into mental images and/or symbols... Quadriplegia, also known as tetraplegia, is a symptom in which a human experiences paralysis of all four limbs, although not necessarily total paralysis. ...

Generally there is no specific treatment for microcephaly. Treatment is symptomatic and supportive.

In general, life expectancy for individuals with microcephaly is reduced and the prognosis for normal brain function is poor. The prognosis varies depending on the presence of associated abnormalities.

Microcephaly

Microcephaly is a type of cephalic disorder. This is a disorder characterized by a small brain and may be caused by a disturbance in the proliferation of nerve cells. Microcephaly may also be associated with maternal problems such as alcoholism (which can result in the Fetal alcohol syndrome disability), diabetes, or rubella (German measles). A genetic factor may play a role in causing some cases of microcephaly. Affected newborns generally have striking neurological defects and seizures. Severely impaired intellectual development is common, but disturbances in motor functions may not appear until later in life. Cephalic disorders are congenital conditions that stem from damage to, or abnormal development of, the budding nervous system. ... Alcoholism is the consumption of, or preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the drinkers normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical or mental harm. ... Fetal alcohol syndrome or FAS is a disorder of permanent birth defects that occurs in the offspring of women who drink alcohol during pregnancy. ... Rubella, commonly known as German measles, is a disease caused by the rubella virus. ... Rubella (also known as epidemic roseola, German measles or three-day measles) is a disease caused by the Rubella virus. ...

Famous microcephalics

• Beetlejuice, the stage name of Lester Green, a star of Howard Stern's Wack Pack
• Schlitzie in the movie Freaks.
• Zip the Pinhead, circus performer, has sometimes been described as a microcephalic.

This article is about the entertainer. ... This article is a biography of Howard Stern as an individual; for information regarding his radio show see The Howard Stern Show. ... The Wack Pack is the name given to a wide assortment of regular guests of the Howard Stern Show. ... Shlitze Surtees, aka Schlitzy, aka Slitzy aka Simon Schlitze Metz (September 10,1901-September 24,1971) born in New York (possibly the Bronx), according to his Official California Certificate Of Death. ... Freaks is a Pre-Code 1932 horror film about sideshow performers, directed by Tod Browning. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

See Also

• Hydrocephaly
• Macrocephaly
• Seckel syndrome
• Anencephaly

Hydrocephalus (water-head, term derived from Greek) is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain, usually due to blockage of CSF outflow in the ventricles or in the subarachoid space at the base of the brain. ... Macrocephaly (from the greek words μακρύς, meaning long, and κεφάλη, meaning head), a type of cephalic disorder, is a condition in which the head circumference is larger than average for the age and sex of the infant or child. ... The Seckel syndrome or microcephalic primordial dwarfism, also often derogatorily called bird-headed dwarfism, is a congenital nanosomic disorder supposed to be caused by defects of genes on chromosome 3 and 18. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

External links

• NINDS Microcephaly Information Page
• Microcephaly Support Group
• The Rat People of Pakistan
• NINDS Overview
• Schlitzie The Pinhead