Very severe mental retardation

Introduction Extremely severe mental retardation: less common. Most have obvious congenital malformations at birth. Completely lack the ability to take care of themselves, take care of others for the rest of their lives, do not speak, do not walk, and cannot receive training. The etiology of mental retardation is complex and involves a wide range of factors, such as biological factors, psychosocial factors and other factors, which may lead to brain function development blockage or brain tissue damage. With the development of modern medical science, some cases can be found, but many cases have not yet found the cause of the disease.

Cause

The World Health Organization divides the causes of mental retardation into ten categories:

1. Infection and poisoning.

2. Trauma and physical factors.

3. Metabolic disorders or malnutrition.

4. Brain disease (after birth).

5. Unexplained prenatal factors and diseases.

6. Chromosomal abnormalities.

7. Immature children.

8. Severe mental disorders.

9. Psychosocial deprivation; other and non-specific causes.

an examination

Related inspection

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain CT examination

The diagnosis of mental retardation depends on the collection of various data and comprehensive assessment.

1. Collect medical history in detail, especially to know whether the family has a genetic history, whether the parents are close relatives, whether there are high risk factors during the mother's pregnancy, the development history of the child and the past medical history.

2. Physical examination, including neurological examination, growth and development status, such as height, weight, head circumference, head shape, presence or absence of deformity, vision, hearing, and abnormalities in skin and hair.

3. Laboratory examinations, including EEG, cranial imaging, brain evoked potentials, biochemical tests, and genetic cytology.

Differential diagnosis

Mental retardation should be clinically differentiated from the following diseases:

(1) Temporary delay in mental development: children with chronic physical illness, post-illness state, malnutrition, taking sedative drugs or poor environment, lack of learning conditions, etc., can cause children to be sluggish, lack of thinking, easy to be mistaken for intelligence Low and mental retardation. If you improve your living conditions and learning conditions or physical recovery, your intelligence can recover quickly.

(2) Epilepsy: Frequent seizures and taking phenobarbital, carbamazepine, and valproic anti-epileptic drugs can all cause drowsiness, sluggishness, and similar mental retardation.

(3) Children with schizophrenia: There may also be low academic performance, apathy, contact with the surrounding environment and maladaptation, but most children do not have real mental retardation.

The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments.