Macrocephaly (from the ancient Greek μακρό- macro- long- + -κέφαλος -kephalos -head), occurs when the head is abnormally large; this includes the scalp, the cranial bone, and the contents of the cranium.
Macrocephaly may be due to megalencephaly (enlarged brain), hydrocephalus (water on the brain), cranial hyperostosis (bone overgrowth), and other conditions. It is called "syndromic" when it is associated with any other noteworthy condition, and "non-syndromic" otherwise. It can be caused by genetic conditions or by environmental events.[1]
Causes
* Benign familial macrocephaly (family tendency toward large head size)
* Canavan disease
* Hurler syndrome
* Hydrocephalus (congenital, post-traumatic, or obstructive)
* Intracranial bleeding
* Morquio syndrome [2]
Diagnosis
Macrocephaly is usually diagnosed by the pediatrician during a physical examination. In some cases this may be the only diagnosis necessary. Some children will require additional diagnostic imaging procedures, such as computed tomography scan (CAT scan), x ray, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to determine the cause of the macrocephaly and the appropriate treatment.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for macrocephaly. Medical care for children with macrocephaly focuses on management of specific symptoms such as developmental delays and mental retardation and treatment of the primary diagnosis responsible for the macrocephaly.[3]
Prognosis
For children with benign familial macrocephaly, the prognosis is excellent. These children usually do not have any complications and have normal intelligence. For other children with macrocephaly, the prognosis is dependent upon the cause. In children with hydrocephalus, the prognosis can be excellent depending on what type of hydrocephalus they have. Unfortunately, many children with macrocephaly experience delayed development, slow growth, seizure disorders, and limited intelligence. All of these are related to the underlying condition that caused the macrocephaly.[4]
Is my big head a benign familial macrocephaly? I hope so. That means I take this big head tendency from uncle Ja'far Shodiq (dad's brother) whose head size is probably the largest on earth.
Dad and mom just measured my head circumference which is 47 cm. It's still normal according to a pediatric manual book.
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Notes:
[1] Wikipedia.org
[2] Nlm.nih.gov
[3] Healthline.com
[4] ibid
