In fact, one family with a congenital mutation in the Musashi - 1 gene has two
children with microcephaly, the researchers point out, adding further evidence that this protein is key to normal brain development.
Zecavati is a pediatric neurologist who treats
children with microcephaly and can describe the neurologic signs and symptoms associated with microcephaly, including the various causes of microcephaly and how microcephaly affects a child's development and cognitive abilities.
The authors note their findings could downplay the frequency in which hearing loss occurs in children infected with Zika in the womb because they only tested
children with microcephaly, which is characterized by an abnormally small head and in some cases brain damage.
Espinal detailed several studies underway, including a study in Brazil that will reveal information in April about
children with microcephaly in the state of Pernambuco and cohort studies in Colombia are currently following 2,000 pregnant women infected with Zika virus.
Children with microcephaly frequently have developmental delays, learning disabilities, impaired motor function, and seizures.
Data from the Brazilian metropolis have confirmed this suspicion and, together with other studies, enable the researchers to estimate the absolute risk of microcephaly upon infection of the mother during pregnancy: approximately one out of 100 mothers infected during early pregnancy will bear
a child with microcephaly.
Not exact matches
Evidence suggests that Zika virus may be linked to
microcephaly, a condition where
children are born
with less than average size heads and possible neurological issues.
In a study conducted in Brazil, 70 infants
with microcephaly were examined at CAVIVER, a nongovernmental organization clinic and referral center dedicated to visually disabled
children in Fortaleza.
The finding of virus in the brain could also be important, since the most devastating impact of the current outbreak in Brazil appears to be
children of infected mothers born
with microcephaly — abnormally small heads and, in some cases, incomplete brain development.
To build their tool, Alison Galvani, from Yale University in New Haven, USA, and colleagues focused on the two known serious consequences of Zika infection:
microcephaly, a condition in which
children are born
with a small brain causing mental impairment, and Guillain - Barré syndrome or GBS, a potentially fatal disease that can cause neural damage and paralysis.
Although Brazil has had more than 4000 suspected cases of
microcephaly, it has confirmed only 270 cases of this brain - damaging condition in
children born to mothers who had evidence of having been infected
with the virus.
With its rapid spread throughout Central and South America, Zika has emerged as a severe health threat that can cause
microcephaly in newborns, as well as Guillain - Barre syndrome in
children and adults.
Since 2016 thousands of
children across South America have been born
with microcephaly, which causes abnormally small heads, after their mothers became infected
with the Zika virus during pregnancy.
Previously,
children with typical facial features, growth restriction and / or
microcephaly (small head size) could be given a diagnosis of FASD without neurobehavioral impairment (i.e., behavioral or cognitive abnormalities that can not be explained by genetics, family background, or environment).
Children born to mothers infected
with Zika can develop
microcephaly, a severe disease characterized by abnormally small heads and severe neurologic disabilities.
The 3 largest case series of infants
with microcephaly also reporting congenital contractures found that, among 35, 48, and 52 infants
with microcephaly and presumed congenital ZIKV infection, isolated clubfoot occurred in 14 %, 10.4 %, and 3.8 % and arthrogryposis in 11 %, 10.4 %, and 5.7 %, respectively.36 - 38 Among a series of 104 infants under clinical investigation, 7 (6.7 %)
with presumed (5 infants) and laboratory - confirmed (2 infants) congenital ZIKV infection had arthrogryposis; 6 of these infants had a head circumference of at least 2 SD below the mean.41 All had bilateral congenital hip dislocation, which previously has been reported to occur in 30 % to 40 % of
children with arthrogryposis of various etiologies and 3 of 7 had dislocation or partial dislocation of 1 or both knees.41, 57
s many as 6 percent of
children born
with Zika - induced
microcephaly may have hearing loss, a new study from Brazil suggests.
Other congenital infections are known to cause hearing problems, but this is one of the first times its been documented among
children with Zika - related
microcephaly.
The researchers add that it's possible some
children born
with Zika infections but without
microcephaly could also be at risk for hearing problems, though this has not yet been determined.
The most common defect is
microcephaly, in which a
child is born
with an abnormally small brain and skull.
After the plaintiff's mother gave birth to her
child, he was diagnosed
with serious birth defects and disabilities, including cerebral palsy, developmental delays,
microcephaly, and ventricular asymmetry, among other conditions.