What does it mean when a child has a large head?
Macrocephaly is the term for an unusually large head. An infant with macrocephaly will have a larger head than most other infants of the same age and sex. In many cases, this condition is benign or harmless. In other cases, it may indicate an underlying medical condition, such as a genetic syndrome or a brain tumor.
What does large head circumference indicate?
Children with macrocephaly have a head circumference (the measurement around the widest part of the head) that is greater than the 98th percentile. Sometimes a large head means that there is a problem in the brain which might require surgery.
What syndrome causes a big head?
Benign familial macrocephaly is an inherited condition. It happens in families predisposed to having larger heads. Sometimes there is a problem with the brain, such as hydrocephalus or excess fluid. Underlying conditions will require treatment.
What causes babies to have large heads?
In babies, whose cranial bones are not yet fully fused to one another, this pressure can force those bones apart, causing the head to grow abnormally large. In such cases, the fontanelles, or “soft spots,” on top of the head and between some of the main cranial bones, may bulge out noticeably.
Does bigger head mean bigger brain?
Even though head size also depends on factors such as the muscularity of the head and thickness of the bone, it’s very likely that a bigger head means a bigger brain. But Hurlburt says people with bigger brains aren’t necessarily smarter than those with smaller ones.
Why is baby’s head growing faster than body?
Your pediatrician will pay particular attention to your child’s head growth, because it reflects the growth of her brain. The bones in your baby’s skull are still growing together, and the skull is growing faster during the first four months than at any other time in her life.
Is having a big head normal?
The medical term for a large head is “macrocephaly.” Most of the time, it isn’t a serious condition, so parents don’t need to worry about it. In rare cases, however, it can be an indication that your baby has other health conditions.
What does it mean if my baby’s head is growing too fast?
It’s normal for a baby’s head to grow a lot during the first year. But with congenital hydrocephalus, the head may grow faster than the normal rate for a baby’s height and weight. The condition may cause the soft spot (fontanelle) on your baby’s head to feel firm or bulge out.
Can head size be increased?
Increased head size may be from any of the following: Benign familial macrocephaly (family tendency toward large head size) Canavan disease (condition that affects how the body breaks down and uses a protein called aspartic acid) Hydrocephalus (buildup of fluid inside the skull that leads to brain swelling)
Does a large head mean a large brain?
What does it mean when a child has a big head?
A child with an unusually large head may have macrocephaly. Macrocephaly means big head, and it is the name for a condition in which an infant or child has an abnormally large head size. For a doctor to diagnose macrocephaly, the measurement of the head around its widest part needs to be larger than the 98th percentile.
Why are babies’heads so large in proportion to their body?
While other factors may influence the relative sizes of a baby’s head and body, a baby’s large head is the result of millions of years of evolutionary pressures. In comparison with other primates, humans have disproportionately large brains. The great apes are the closest living relatives to humans, with brains weighing between 300 and 500 g.
Why do some people have a bigger head than others?
It happens in families predisposed to having larger heads. Sometimes there is a problem with the brain, such as hydrocephalus or excess fluid. Underlying conditions will require treatment. Benign extra-axial collection is a condition where there’s fluid in the brain.
When to diagnose an infant with a large head?
When an infant with a large head has a family history of larger-than-average head sizes, doctors will diagnose them with benign familial macrocephaly. Infants with benign familial macrocephaly will not experience any symptoms other than a large head and will have no additional health concerns.