Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0025362 (mental retardation)
 15,878 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Congenital toxoplasmosis has been confirmed in Indonesia. Many newborn children in Indonesia have congenital anomalies attributable to Toxoplasma gondii. The parasite is widespread, with seroprevalence rates of 2-63% in humans, 35-73% in cats, 75% in dogs, 11-36% in pigs, 11-61% in goats, and less than 10% in cows. The prevalence of Toxoplasma antibodies in pregnant women in the Dr Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Jakarta is 14.3%, and in 50 abortions it is 67.8%. In patients with a history of one or more abortions or stillbirths, the prevalence is 21.5% and 22.8%, respectively. No significant difference has been found in women with or without histories of habitual abortions or stillbirths. In adults and children with chorioretinitis, the prevalence of antibody is 60%; in patients with other eye lesions, it is 17%. The prevalence in hydrocephalic children is 10.6%; in children with mental retardation, 44.6%; in children with eye lesions, 44.6%; and in children with signs of systemic diseases, 9.5%. The diagnosis of an acute Toxoplasma infection using the ELISA should be based on a significant increase in IgG levels in paired sera or on detection of IgM.
 ...
PMID:Study on the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in Indonesia: a review. 182 46

Toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis usually presents during the first three decades of life as a consequence of intra-uterine infection by Toxoplasma gondii. The ingestion of infected undercooked meat, or foodstuffs contaminated by infected cat faeces, constitute the primary sources of infection for the non-immune mother. It is thought that following congenital infection, Toxoplasma cysts remain dormant in otherwise normal retina and that acute retinochoroiditis is the result of reactivation of the parasite, perhaps by cyst rupture. Treatment is indicated for sight threatening disease and comprises anti-Toxoplasma agents. The addition of steroids may be required to diminish the inflammatory response. Photocoagulation of normal retina around focal lesions probably decreases the incidence of recurrent inflammation. Women should be advised not to eat undercooked meat and to avoid contact with cat excrement during pregnancy. These measures will decrease the incidence of both eye disease and the more severe manifestations of congenital toxoplasmosis, which include congenital abnormalities, mental retardation, hydrocephalus and blindness.
 ...
PMID:Toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis--a historical review and current concepts. 266 25

A case-control study evaluating the association between mental retardation and toxoplasmosis was conducted among 845 school children in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Cases (450) were mentally retarded children attending a public school for special education. Controls (395) were children from the regular public school system. Clinical and anthropometric examinations and interviews were carried out to determine risk factors for toxoplasmosis and mental retardation. Diagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii infection was based upon an indirect immunofluorescent test (IFA); 55% of cases and 29% of controls were positive. The Relative Odds of mental retardation in children with positive serology was 3.0 (95% CI 2.2-4.0). Maternal exposure to cats and contact with soil were associated with an increased risk of mental retardation. Retinochoroiditis was fourfold more prevalent among cases than controls and was only diagnosed in T. gondii IFA positive participants. Congenital toxoplasmosis, in its subclinical form, appears to be an important component in the etiology of mental retardation, especially in high risk (lower socio-economic) groups. The population attributable risk was estimated as 6.0-9.0%, suggesting the amount of mental retardation associated with this infection.
 ...
PMID:Toxoplasmosis and mental retardation--report of a case-control study. 810 87

Cognitive disorders affect thinking and perceptual processes and the acquisition of knowledge and new information. They have an enormous societal impact because special educational resources are required, and independent living often cannot be achieved. Learning problems may lead to behavioral disorders in the home and community. The pathogenesis of most mild and moderate cognitive disorders is poorly understood. Severe cognitive impairment is usually accompanied by somatic abnormalities, and an etiology can be identified in many cases. Specific treatments are available for disorders such as cogenital hypothyroidism, some metabolic acidurias, and congenital toxoplasmosis. Other disorders affecting cognition such as fetal alcohol syndrome, maternal cocaine and heroin exposure, HIV encephalopathy, and prematurity require aggressive prevention and education to reduce their occurrence. The recent advances in molecular genetics offer a faster and better method of diagnosing fragile X syndrome, now recognized as the most common inheritable cause of mental retardation. In the future, DNA analysis may elucidate the basis of many other cognitive disorders.
 ...
PMID:Cognitive disorders in children. 812 19

Primary infection with Toxoplasma gondii in pregnant women occurs all over the world with frequencies between 0.1-1%. In approximately 40% of the cases, the unborn child is infected. The risk of fetal infection increases during pregnancy, while at the same time the risk of severe disease decreases. As a result, infants with congenital toxoplasmosis are mostly asymptomatic at birth, but long-term studies indicate that up to 85% of them will develop sequelae including chorioretinitis (leading to severe impairment of vision), hearing loss or mental retardation. Early recognition of maternal infection and treatment with spiramycin or pyrimethamine-sulphadiazine will reduce the parasitic colonization of the placenta by more than 60% and prevent infection in the fetus. If fetal infection has already occurred, maternal treatment modifies the fetal disease. Therapy during the first year of life improves the prognosis. It is possible today to identify infected fetuses by prenatal diagnosis based on detection of the parasite in cord blood, amniotic fluid and placental tissue. Specific antibodies and non-specific signs of infection in fetal blood give additional information. Advances in laboratory techniques have made it feasible to consider serological surveillance of pregnant women. The present recommendation is that each country should provide data on the incidence of toxoplasma infection in pregnancy and thereby decide whether it represents a problem and what measures should be adopted. This paper summarizes the present knowledge of the parasite and its implication for the mother and unborn child. The effect and problems of primary and secondary prevention in pregnancy are discussed as well as the efficacy of treatment. The need for future research including long-term follow-up studies are emphasized.
 ...
PMID:Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy. 851 40

The aim of the present study was to get a real image about Toxoplasma gondii infection of pregnant woman and the consequence for her child in Moldavia area. There were studied: 224 pregnant women with pathological pregnancies comparing with 347 apparently healthy pregnant women; 1422 newborns; 223 children with mental retardation and visual pathology comparing with 129 apparently healthy children. There were used the following serological methods: indirect immunofluorescent assay, direct agglutination test, immunosorbent agglutination assay (ISAGA). The following results were obtained: 1) a high sero-prevalence of T. gondii antibodies among pregnant women (43.9%)--most of them being chronic infections; 2) 0.6% pregnant women with acute toxoplasmosis in the first trimester of their pregnancies, situation with great danger for the unborn child; 3) a 7.1% degrees of participation of T.gondii infection to the etiology of spontaneous abortion; 4) a high seroprevalence of T.gondii antibodies among children with mental retardation (66.4%) and visual pathology (37.4%) comparing with the group of apparently healthy children (9.3%). The conclusion resulting from this data is that toxoplasmosis demands more attention from our medical world, a national program of prophylaxis including a large screening of pregnant women and/or newborns being able to prevent the severe damages due to congenital toxoplasmosis.
 ...
PMID:[Epidemiological data on toxoplasmosis. The aspects of congenital toxoplasmosis]. 993 3

In utero infection with Toxoplasma gondii may result in congenital defects such as hydrocephalus, chorioretinitis and mental retardation; these defects may be present at birth or may develop later in life. Prevention of this disease can be achieved in different ways. The most effective measure is to prevent the acquisition of the disease during pregnancy by avoiding risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii infection. Health education may decrease the incidence of toxoplasmosis during pregnancy by 60%. A second preventive measure is based on serologic screening during pregnancy to identify infected women. Treatment during pregnancy results in a significant reduction in the incidence of sequelae including severe handicaps. A third possible intervention is treating infected neonates. Antibiotic treatment of infected children has a beneficial effect on the development of sequelae and the sooner therapy is started after birth, the better the outcome. This overview presents the potential benefits and harms of these different options available for the prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis.
 ...
PMID:Prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis. 1112 23

Toxoplasmosis is caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. In the United States, approximately 85% of women of childbearing age are susceptible to acute infection with T. gondii. Acute infections in pregnant women may cause serious health problems when the organism is transmitted to the fetus (congenital toxoplasmosis), including mental retardation, seizures, blindness, and death. An estimated 400 to 4000 cases of congenital toxoplasmosis occur in the U.S. each year. Manifestations of congenital toxoplasmosis may not become apparent until the second or third decade of life. Serologic tests are used to diagnose acute infection in pregnant women, but false-positive tests occur frequently, therefore, serologic diagnosis must be confirmed at a reference laboratory before treatment with potentially toxic drugs should be considered. Much of congenital toxoplasmosis can be prevented by educating women of childbearing age and pregnant women to avoid eating raw or undercooked meat, to avoid cross-contamination of other foods with raw or undercooked meat, and to use proper cat-litter and soil-related hygiene.
 ...
PMID:Congenital toxoplasmosis: a review. 1133 76

Approximately 85 percent of women of childbearing age in the United States are susceptible to acute infection with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Transmission of T. gondii to the fetus can result in serious health problems, including mental retardation, seizures, blindness, and death. Some health problems may not become apparent until the second or third decade of life. An estimated 400 to 4,000 cases of congenital toxoplasmosis occur in the United States each year. Serologic tests are used to diagnose acute T. gondii infection in pregnant women. Because false-positive tests occur frequently, serologic diagnosis must be confirmed at a Toxoplasma reference laboratory before treatment with potentially toxic drugs is considered. In many instances, congenital toxoplasmosis can be prevented by educating pregnant women and other women of childbearing age about not ingesting raw or undercooked meat, using measures to avoid cross-contamination of other foods with raw or undercooked meat, and protecting themselves against exposure to cat litter or contaminated soil.
 ...
PMID:Congenital toxoplasmosis. 1277 62

Congenital toxoplasmosis may develop after maternal primary infection during pregnancy. The infection is usually asymptomatic in pregnant women but poses a risk of severe effects on the fetus. In Italy the incidence is about 6 per thousand. The infection is transmitted to the fetus in approximately 50 percent of such cases. The risk of transmission rises with growing gestational age at the time of primary infection; on the contrary, the seriousness of the effect on the fetuses becomes less active with more advanced pregnancies. Infants with congenital toxoplasmosis are mostly asymptomatic at birth but long-term studies have indicated that up to 85% of them will develop serious sequelae as severe impairment of vision, mental retardation and deafness during the months or the years after the birth. Preventing congenital toxoplasmosis is fundamental. All seronegative women should be encouraged to observe good dietary and general health regulations until delivery. Today the diagnosis in the mother is more reliable because of the improvements in serological techniques. Moreover, it is possible to identify infected fetuses by prenatal procedures such as ultrasonography, amniocentesis and cordocentesis, of which the last two consent to detect the parasite and/or specific antibodies. Recently a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay has been developed for the detection of Toxoplasma in the amniotic fluid. Adequate serological screening of pregnant and prenatal diagnosis can be helpful in reducing the incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis; furthermore abortion should be reserved only to cases with severe toxoplasmosis revealed by ultrasonography. Early recognition of pregnant infection and a specific treatment could reduce the parasitic colonization in the placenta by more than 60% and prevent infection in the fetus. If the fetal infection has already occurred, maternal treatment may modify the fetal disease. Spiramycin as immediate treatment of maternal primary infection is essential in preventing Toxoplasma transmission to the fetus. If the fetus results non-infected, spiramycin should be prolonged until delivery. If the fetus is infected, pyrimethamine-sulphadiazine combination should be given in repeated courses alternated with courses of spiramycin. However, there is an urgent need for more active and safer compounds; it would be useful to evaluate in the pregnant woman other potential therapeutic agents as atovaquone and azithromycin.
 ...
PMID:[Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy: recent acquisitions and new prospects]. 1496 66


1 2 Next >>