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Query: UMLS:C0025362 (mental retardation)
 15,878 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A case report on a 4 year old boy with physical and mental retardation noted since the age of 7 months is presented. In the 10th month a hydrocephalus internus was diagnosed. The autopsy showed a cerebral dystrophy with diffuse pachygyria presumably caused by a disturbance in the neuroblast migration during the 2nd and the 5th month of gravidity. The 33 cases of diffuse pachygyria hitherto described in the literature are compared with our own one. In more than 80% of the cases pachygyria is associated with oligophrenia or idiotism, resp., and 75% with epilepsy. Paralysis is rarely observed. The average life expectancy is about 5 years. Etiologic factors are intrauterine hypoxemia and infectious diseases during the early pregnancy period as well as hereditary afflictions. In the case described here the teratogenic action of a drug probably was the etiologic factor.
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PMID:[On pathology of the diffuse pachygyria (author's transl)]. 118 68

Autism is a chronic, nonprogressive developmental disability with a unique triad of abnormalities in socialization, communication and behavior. Most, but not all, children with autism have some degree of mental retardation, and many develop epilepsy. No single biomedical etiology has been found, but a significant number of medical disorders occur in association with autism. The medical evaluation is directed toward finding underlying or associated neurologic, metabolic, genetic or infectious diseases. Psychoeducational and behavioral therapies are the most successful approaches to the treatment of autism. Community-based and structured programs that emphasize socialization, communication and family training are the most effective. Medical management focuses on treatment of underlying or associated diseases. Pharmacotherapy is sometimes beneficial, but no drug acts specifically on this complex of symptoms. Family physicians can provide early identification, continuing medical care and support to the child and the family.
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PMID:Autism: early identification and management in family practice. 195 Sep 71

Ischemic cerebrovascular disease in children is relatively rare. To clarify the clinical features of ischemic stroke occurring in infants and children, we evaluated 54 cases of cerebral infarction, excluding cases of moyamoya disease, in patients less than 16 years old at 24 clinics in the Tohoku (northeast) district of Japan. We observed two incidence peaks, one in little children and the other in junior high school students. Infection and minor head trauma were more frequently seen prior to ischemic strokes than was heart disease. The middle cerebral artery region, including the basal ganglia, was most commonly affected (49 patients, 91%) on computed tomograms. Angiography was performed in 48 patients (89%) and showed various types of occlusive lesions, mostly affecting the middle cerebral artery. Hemiparesis was the most common form of disability following ischemic strokes (48 patients, 89%). Surgical treatment was carried out in seven patients (13%). The clinical course of these cases showed that the recovery of children after a stroke tends to be better than that of adults, but that permanent disabilities, such as hemiparesis or mental retardation, occur commonly. Further investigation of juvenile cerebrovascular disease is important to prevent ischemic strokes in children.
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PMID:Clinical survey of ischemic cerebrovascular disease in children in a district of Japan. 202 86

Infection with the AIDS virus itself (HIV, HTLV-III, LAV, ARV) is associated with a full spectrum of neurological disorders. The application of diagnostic studies for HTLV-III infection has demonstrated that these neurologic disorders can be the first manifestation of AIDS or occur in the absence of AIDS. The most common conditions associated with HTLV-III infection alone are a subacute encephalopathy (AIDS dementia) and peripheral neuropathy; however, vacuolar myelopathy and both acute and chronic aseptic meningitis are also common. Congenital (or neonatal) transmission of the virus can result in a mental retardation syndrome of delayed onset. The AIDS virus is neurotropic as well as targeting T-helper lymphocytes. The virus has been readily identified in neural tissues and cerebrospinal fluid, including instances in which other central nervous system infections, such as toxoplasmosis, coexist. Hence, recognition of an appropriate syndrome, neurodiagnostic studies, and exclusion (or treatment) of other infections, as well as evidence for HTLV-III infection are required for diagnosis. The development of successful therapy will require agents which cross the blood-brain barrier.
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PMID:Neurology of AIDS virus infection: a clinical classification. 282 50

Childhood poverty is common in Canada: 1,114,000 children under 16 years of age live below the poverty line. The incidence is highest among children of single mothers, unemployed parents, Canadian native peoples and recent immigrants, particularly refugees. Compared with the national average, the infant mortality rate is twice as high, deaths from infectious diseases are 2.5 times more common and accidental deaths are twice as common among children of low-income families. Other problems associated with poverty are iron deficiency anemia, dental caries, chronic ear infections, mental retardation, learning disabilities, poor school performance and increased suicide rates. Health care professionals can help address the poor physical and mental health associated with poverty in children by promoting a broad range of public policies.
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PMID:The health of children of low-income families. 330 37

Morbidity and mortality patterns were examined among 968 pediatric patients on the island of Dominica. These children, whose ages ranged from newborn to 13 years, were seen by the consulting pediatrician at Princess Margaret Hospital during a 9-month period in 1978-79; 852 children were seen as inpatients. A total of 477 cases of infectious disease were diagnosed among inpatients alone. Stool examination in a subsample of these children revealed parasites (mostly Trichuris) in roughly half. Also found was a relatively high prevalence of chronic health problems, especially rheumatic heart disease (34 cases), mental retardation (28 cases), epilepsy (31 cases), and sickle cell anemia (21 cases). Examination of the hospital records of 100 of the inpatients ages 6 months-5 years demonstrated that 34% were low weight-for-age according to the World Health Organization classification. There were 34 deaths (9 pediatric patients and 255 newborns). The high neonatal mortality is attributed to an unusually high incidence of immaturity and prematurity, irregular and insufficient hospital oxygen supply, and a septicemia epidemic. Although these findings reflect patterns of the more serious diseases, they could be useful in planning preventive health measures. The high prevalence of malnutrition points to a need for nutrition education, promotion of breastfeeding, promotion of vegetable growing, and the introduction of a home-based growth chart. The high incidence of diarrhea, typhoid fever, and helminthiases highlights problems with general hygiene, latrines, and water supply. There is also a need for follow-up facilities for children with rheumatic heart disease, epilepsy, and sickle cell anemia. It is suggested that hospital care could be improved by dividing pediatric and neonatology wards into 5 units: isolation ward, malnutrition ward, semi-intensive care unit, general pediatrics, and pediatric surgery.
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PMID:Morbidity and mortality patterns among pediatric patients in Dominica (West Indies). 662 10

In western society, congenital malformations and genetic disorders have assumed much greater importance as causes of early morbidity and mortality, with the waning of infectious diseases. The personal and societal burden arising as a consequence is an important public health problem. Approximately 25-30% of admissions to major childrens' hospitals in the western hemisphere are for children with one of these disorders. About 3-4% of all births are associated with a major congenital malformation, genetic disorder, or mental retardation. For congenital malformations and mental retardation in particular, the causes may not be discernible in about two-thirds of cases. Clearly defined or suspected genetic origins have been delineated in almost 3,000 catalogued disorders, and many are thought to occur as a consequence of environmental/genetic interaction. The purpose of this paper is to provide some perspective on the influence of environmental factors in the etiology of congenital malformations.
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PMID:Fetal malformations and environmental influences. A perspective. 716 22

Among 201 patients diagnosed with HAM/TSP at Kagoshima University, 21 juvenile onset patients had manifested clinical signs and symptoms at less than 15 years of age. They appeared to have common characteristics such as short stature and slight mental retardation. These signs prompted us to investigate five of them endocrinologically; and three patients with pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) were confirmed. Serum calcium levels were low, and human parathyroid hormone (PTH) infusion (Ellsworth-Howard test) caused low response in urinary cyclic AMP and phosphorus excretion. The first case had IgA nephropathy, which is generally associated with infectious diseases, while the second case had muscular lymphocytic infiltration. The mothers of cases 1 and 2, who were both seropositive for HTLV-I, were suspected to have abnormal calcium metabolism based on Ellsworth-Howard test. A brother of case 1 and two sisters of case 3 had also HAM/TSP and short stature. The early clinical onset of HAM/TSP may be due to PTH receptor anomaly and a low level of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, which is deficient in PHP and is involved in the regulation of the immune response. The association with IgA nephropathy or myositis may result from progressive HTLV-I infection.
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PMID:Three cases of juvenile onset HTLV-I-associated myelopathy with pseudohypoparathyroidism. 822 62

Historical discussions of the euthanasia or "lethal chamber" option in relation to people with mental retardation were presented. Positions were classified into those (a) dismissing the option, (b) presenting ambivalent views, and (c) showing outright support. Tredgold's forthright views in support of euthanasia for "idiots" and "imbeciles" were highlighted. Eugenic beliefs in the primacy of heredity over environment in determining mortality and the positive role of natural selection in race betterment were presented. I proposed that these beliefs were used to condone, if not encourage, the poor conditions characteristic of large, segregated institutions during the early decades of this century and their high rates of mortality from infectious diseases such as tuberculosis. The conclusion was drawn that euthanasia may thus have been implemented, albeit unofficially, in at least some institutions.
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PMID:The "lethal chamber": further evidence for the euthanasia option. 841 24

In children with mental retardation, development is altered so that adaptive and cognitive skills are significantly deficient. Causes of mental retardation are varied and include newborn trauma, infectious diseases, chromosomal abnormalities, metabolic disorders, and environmental toxins. In many cases, however, the cause of mental retardation remains unknown. Most affected children have mild retardation and are able to achieve economic and social independence as adults. Early identification by the pediatrician of a developmental delay is important to ensure appropriate treatment and to enable the child to develop all of his or her capabilities.
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PMID:Mental retardation. 849 62


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