Every parent would like his or her child to have the best things in life. This is the reason why most parents usually take their children to expensive schools and even give them the best upbringing. However, children are traditionally vulnerable to many diseases, including neurological disorders, which can be detrimental to your kid’s health.
If you notice that your kid has a neurological disorder, you should not hesitate to take him to a pediatric neurologist in Dubai. However, what are neurological disorders? Neurological disorders in children normally occur when something is abnormal in the brain or the nervous system or the muscle cells of your child. These disorders can vary from epilepsy to migraine headaches to tics or movement disorders, and so on.
Your child can either be born with the disorder or acquire a specific neurological disorder later in life. Some of the disorders that children are born with include Spine Bifida or hydrocephalus. There are other instances when they can acquire a disorder as a result of traumatic injury or severe infection. As a parent, you should be aware of the different neurological disorders in your child so that you can take appropriate actions. The following are the common causes of various neurological disorders in children:
Table of Contents
1. Congenital causes.
These causes are naturally inherent as they are typically inherited from parents through genes and chromosomes. Chromosomes are long strands of DNA that are supported by proteins that are found in the nuclei of the human cells. Sections of DNA known as genes usually carry the chemical code that makes us who we are. Human chromosomes generally have many genes. Sometimes, there might be gene abnormalities, and this can lead to neurological disorders in your child. Genes are basically responsible for determining the characteristics of a specific individual. If there is a mutation, there might be gene abnormalities, and this can damage the characteristics of the individual. Sometimes, mutations can be passed on to offspring and thereby affect their characteristics. Changes in the chromosome number can also lead to this problem.
There are instances when one chromosome gets lost out of a pair. This condition is known as monosomy. A change in the chromosome structure can also lead to neurological disorders. This is where genes are lost from a chromosome, and this leads to genetic conditions such as Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes.
Other congenital causes include metabolic disorders. We all know that metabolism basically refers to the chemical processes in the body. Metabolic disorders can actually cause lasting damage to the body of a human being. These disorders must be identified as early as possible so that preventive measures can be taken. Some of the metabolic disorders include phenylketonuria and homocystinuria. These disorders can be detected at birth when blood samples are sent for universal screening. There are also other instances when there are complex interactions between the genes, environment, and behaviors. In this case, your child can have a neurological disorder such as tuberous sclerosis. Here, your child can have growth in regions such as the heart, brain, kidneys, and even lungs.
2. Pre/perinatal causes.
Some of these causes include:
- a) Toxins and environmental factors.
Neurotoxins can enter and damage a child’s developing system through the placenta during fetal development. This can make your child develop intellectual and behavioral problems. Some of the neurotoxins include alcohol, lead, tobacco, and even mercury.
- b) Nutritional deficiencies.
Our bodies need nutrients in order to grow well. If your body lacks the essential nutrients, you might have an issue when growing up. It is crucial to note that the lack of essential nutrients during the last three months of pregnancy can decrease the number of brain cells of a child. Lack of folic acid can make your child have a neural tube defect.
- c) Hypoxia or asphyxia.
Lack of oxygen usually leads to a condition known as perinatal asphyxia. Hypoxic ischemia refers to insufficient blood flow that leads to reduced blood oxygen content in the blood. If a developing body in the uterus lacks enough oxygen, he or she might have hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Some of the side effects of this problem include cerebral palsy, intellectual impairments, and even epilepsy.
- d) Childbirth complications.
There are instances when the mother of the unborn baby might develop childbirth complications. The skull of a newborn baby is very vulnerable to physical injury as it is not fully formed at birth. Sometimes, the supply of blood and oxygen from the umbilical cord can also be affected at birth. If your child’s brain fails to get oxygen, his brain might be damaged, and this can lead to other complications.
- e) Interaction effects.
There are some factors that can interact in a complex way and thereby cause neurologic disorders. These factors can be hereditary. Others can be related to the environment, nutrition, stress ad, even drugs.
The other factors that can lead to neurological disorders include:
3. Immune disorders.
Immune disorders such as autoimmune encephalitis can cause emotional challenges in children. It can also cause abnormal body movement and seizures in children.
4. Traumatic brain injury.
This usually occurs when there is trauma to the head, and this results in brain damage. Ideally, there are three types of traumatic brain injuries. One of them is the closed head injury. Here, there is no visible damage to your child’s head. In most instances, this takes place in the event of a car accident. The other one is open wounds. Here, the brain is usually exposed and can be damaged by a foreign object. The last type of traumatic brain injury is a crushing injury. Here, the head is crushed, and brain damage occurs.
You should be aware of these causes so that you can know the preventive measures that you should take. Most parents have lost their children due to neurologic disorders. However, if you notice that your child had these issues, take him or her to a pediatric neurologist in Dubai for further treatment. This can help your child to remain healthy.
