Microcephaly (2024)

FAQs

Can a child with microcephaly be normal? ›

Some children with microcephaly are both with normal intelligence and have normal developmental milestones, but their heads will always be smaller than normal children for their age and sex. Even in such cases, a regular follow-up with the doctor is advised.

Babies with mild microcephaly often don't experience any other problems besides small head size. These babies will need routine check-ups to monitor their growth and development. For more severe microcephaly, babies will need care and treatment focused on managing their other health problems (mentioned above).

The prognosis depends on the severity of the condition. In some cases, a child won't have complications and will have a normal life expectancy. More severe cases can reduce your child's life expectancy. Their risk is higher if the condition affects their brain function.

The false positive rate is lower (about 40%) when defining fetal microcephaly as a HC of 3 or more SD below the mean for gestational age. Another reason for the low accuracy in the prenatal diagnosis of microcephaly is the limited yield of the commonly used fetal head growth charts (Leibovitz and Lerman-Sagie, 2018).

Some children will only have mild disability. Others, especially if they are otherwise growing and developing normally, will have normal intelligence and continue to develop and meet regular age-appropriate milestones.

The students with microcephaly had a similar mean IQ to the normocephalic group (99.5 vs 105) but had lower mean academic achievement scores (49 vs 70).

Some babies with microcephaly have no health complications other than having a small head and being short. But some babies with microcephaly may have long-term or lifelong health problems, including: Cerebral palsy (also called CP). This is a group of conditions that affects the parts of the brain that control muscles.

Canonical definitions of microcephaly include a newborn or fetal head circumference below the third percentile or, similarly, a head circumference at least two standard deviations (SDs) below the mean from a reference population, for age and gender.

Children with this condition may also have delayed speech and motor functions, dwarfism or short stature, vision and hearing deficiencies, and/or other problems associated with neurological abnormalities. Not every child or adult with a smaller-than-average head meets the measurement criteria for microcephaly.

Most (81.4%, 206/253) VLBW infants caught up their head growths at 18–24 months of CA. Infants in the NCU group had smaller head circumferences, shorter lengths, and less body weights than those in the CU group (head circumference: 44.6 cm vs. 47.2 cm; length: 81.0 cm. vs.

What does mild microcephaly look like? ›

Some children just have small heads, with a measurement that falls below an established value for children of the same age and sex. In children with microcephaly, head size measures much smaller than average for the child's age and sex. A child with more-severe microcephaly may also have a sloping forehead.

There is no standard life expectancy for microcephalic babies because outcomes depend on so many factors, and the severity of the condition can vary. Babies with mild microcephaly may still meet the same milestones like speaking, sitting and walking as a child without the disorder.

Reports regarding the accuracy of prenatal fetal ultrasound measurements indicate that prenatal ultrasound is more accurate for excluding microcephaly than for detecting microcephaly [3].

A Z-score of ≤ −1.3 had 44.6% sensitivity, 35.1% specificity, 44.9% FP rate, and 45.9% FN rate for detection of microcephaly (p=0.08). Using a HCfetal Z-score cutoff of ≤ −1.7 yielded 28.8% sensitivity, 21% specificity, 62.6% FP and 28.2% FN rate (p=0.09).

Congenital microcephaly is microcephaly that is present prenatally or at the time of birth/delivery. Congenital microcephaly is defined as a HC at birth (or at delivery for stillbirths and elective terminations) less than the 3rd percentile for gestational age and sex based on standard growth charts.

Key points about microcephaly in children

Some children with small heads have normal intelligence. Microcephaly may be caused by problems during a woman's pregnancy. In some cases, it may be caused by inheriting an abnormal gene. Microcephaly is a lifelong condition that has no cure.

There's no cure for microcephaly. Treatment options depend on how severe your baby's condition is. Babies with mild microcephaly often don't have other health problems, but they still need regular check-ups so their health care provider can check their growth and development.

This type, also called secondary microcephaly, can be caused by damage to a child's brain. Isolated microcephaly is when a small head and brain size are the only signs. Syndromic microcephaly is small head and brain size associated with one of many genetic syndromes that can include other symptoms.