The big head that a baby is born with is striking in its size. In a full-term baby, it accounts for ¼ of the entire body, in a premature baby - about a third, and in an adult - only an eighth. Such a large head in a child is due to the predominant development of his brain.
Children can be born with a different shape of the head, while its sizes are generally accepted: in full-term girls, the head circumference is on average 34 cm, and in boys it is almost 35. In he althy newborns, the brain skull is larger than the facial one, so like the bones are not yet fused. Gradually they coalesce and form sutures, and uncovered soft areas are called fontanelles.
But sometimes it happens that children are born with an abnormally enlarged head, which is also often asymmetrical. At the same time, the frontal tubercles protrude noticeably, and the eyeballs are enlarged and protruding. Such symptoms indicate a dangerous disease - hydrocephalus.
What is hydrocephalus?
This is a disease caused by the accumulation of fluid in the baby's brain. This disease is popularly called dropsy of the brain. As a rule, thisthe disease is caused by an infectious disease that the mother suffered during pregnancy. Also, the disease can appear as a result of meningitis, intoxication, or a head injury. The consequence of these troubles in a child due to illness may be a big head. The disease also leads to increased pressure inside the skull, neurological disorders, seizures and reduced vision and intellectual abilities.
A large head is, of course, not a 100% indicator of hydrocephalus. For example, if one of the parents of the child also has a large head, then this indicates normal heredity. The main symptom of hydrocephalus in a baby is a large head, that is, its accelerated growth. Therefore, if such changes are observed, it is necessary to conduct an urgent examination, the results of which confirm or refute the diagnosis.
Signs of hydrocephalus
The first signs of the disease are an enlarged fontanel that does not close by the age of three. Norm - by the year. The bones become thinner, the forehead becomes disproportionate, huge, with a well-visible venous network. Graefe's symptom is observed (the upper eyelid lags behind when the eyeball moves down). Due to the disease, the baby lags behind in psychomotor development, cannot hold his head, does not get up and does not play. If, nevertheless, the diagnosis is confirmed, then the sooner qualified treatment begins, the less consequences there will be in the future. Hydrocephalus is usually treated with surgery, during which surgeonsdivert CSF from the ventricles of the brain to other cavities of the body.
Microcephaly
Another serious developmental disorder is microcephaly. With this disease, the baby also has a large head. But its circumference is only 25 cm, without fontanelles. The front part of the skull is much larger than the brain, since the anomaly lies in a decrease in the size of the brain. Like hydrocephalus, this disease can develop before the birth of a child, as a result of a violation of the development of the baby inside the womb.
