Question

A CCMA is monitoring an infant patient for microcephaly. Which is the anthropometric measurement that the CCMA should perform and why?

Answer 1

Microcephaly is a condition characterized by a smaller head size of an infant which is due to abnormal development of the brain. While the causes of microcephaly include malnutrition, exposure to toxins in prenatal period or certain infections which cross the blood- brain- barrier.

How to measure microcephaly :

The CCMA should perform head circumference of an infant to rule out microcephaly:

Head circumference is measured by placing the tape which is nonelastic across the head so that the tape passes through the ears and meet at the eyebrows and the measurement is noted down.

Result : The normal head circumference of an infant is 32 to 38 cm. While infants with microcephaly have 2 standard deviation less of head circumference than the normal range or less than 2 nd percentile of normal range. This is how the microcephaly is ruled out.

Thank you.