mental retardation: Causes

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Encyclopedia—mental retardation

Causes

There are several hundred possible causes of mental retardation. They include genetic conditions (e.g., Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome); prenatal problems (e.g., fetal alcohol syndrome, rubella, malnutrition); problems apparent at birth (e.g., low birth weight and prematurity); and problems that occur after birth (e.g., injuries and childhood diseases like measles that can lead to meningitis and encephalitis). The most commonly identified causes of mental retardation are Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, and fetal alcohol syndrome. In many cases the cause is never known.

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Related content from HighBeam Research on: mental retardation: Causes

A rare cause of mental motor retardation: recessive congenital methemoglobinemia type II (The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics)

Deciphering mental retardation. (discovery of the gene that causes 'fragile X syndrome,' the most common inherited form of mental retardation) (U.S. News & World Report)

The drunken baby: fetal alcohol syndrome is the nation's leading cause of preventable mental retardation. (includes related information) (Vibrant Life)

Tuna on rye--hold the mercury, please: nutritionally, fish may seem like your friend. But the mercury in many fish can cause everything from miscarriage and heart problems in adults to mental retardation in babies. Actress Daphne Zuniga, who was lucky enough to get early treatment, spotlights a growing threat.(body wise) (O, The Oprah Magazine)

When parents puff.(studies indicate that cigarette smoking by parents can cause several childhood illnesses including mental retardation, middle-ear infections, asthma, tonsillitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, and even death)(Brief Article) (U.S. News & World Report)

Genetics of mental retardation (Indian Journal of Medical Sciences)

Understanding mental retardation. (includes related article on the Special Olympics) (Current Health 2, a Weekly Reader publication)

X-Linked Mental Retardation (XLMR): From Clinical Conditions to Cloned Genes (Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences)

Identifying depression in students with mental retardation (Teaching Exceptional Children)

Challenging expert testimony on intelligence and mental retardation (Journal of Psychiatry & Law)

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