An abnormally small head, usually associated with learning difficulties.
Microcephaly may occur if the brain is damaged before or during birth, or if there is injury or disease in early infancy.
Abnormal smallness of the head, usually associated with LEARNING DISABILITY. It may occur as a result of infection of the fetus by, for example, RUBELLA (German measles) or from hypoxic damage to the brain before or during birth.
n. abnormal smallness of the head in relation to the size of the rest of the body: a congenital condition in which the brain is not fully developed. Compare macrocephaly.
(CLS) an inherited disease, more severe in males, that results in developmental delay and profound learning disability. It is characterized by distinctive facial anomalies, short stature, microcephaly, and *kyphoscoliosis; some patients have episodes of collapse when startled or excited (stimulus-induced drop episodes; SIDE). [G. S. Coffin (1923– ), US paediatrician; R. B. Lowry (1932– ), British geneticist]... coffin–lowry syndrome
(FASD, fetal alcohol syndrome, FAS) a condition of newborn babies that results from the toxic effects on the fetus of maternal alcohol abuse. Babies have a low birth weight and growth is retarded. They have a small head (*microcephaly), low-set ears, eye, nose, lip, and nail abnormalities, and disturbances of behaviour and intellect. The greater the alcohol abuse, the more severe the fetal manifestations.... fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
n. a small winged bloodsucking insect belonging to a large group – the *Diptera (two-winged flies). Its mouthparts are formed into a long proboscis for piercing the skin and sucking blood. Female mosquitoes transmit the parasites responsible for several major infectious diseases, such as *malaria. The mosquito-borne zika virus has recently been shown to cause *microcephaly. See Anopheles; Aëdes; Culex.... mosquito
a mosquito-borne virus that usually causes mild symptoms in humans, including fever, skin rashes, muscle and joint pain, and headache. However, infection during pregnancy can result in brain abnormalities of the fetus, notably *microcephaly. Zika virus can also trigger *Guillain–Barré syndrome. Infection is usually from a mosquito bite, although the virus may also be transmitted by sexual intercourse.... zika virus
Health Encyclopedia