Mental retardation - Causes and Symptoms

Definition

Mental retardation (or intellectual disability) is characterized by a cognitive function significantly below the average; the reduced mental faculties can be determined both by genetic and environmental factors.

Many chromosomal, neurological, endocrine and metabolic disorders can lead to intellectual disability.

Infections that can be transmitted from mother to fetus, causing mental retardation, include rubella virus, cytomegalovirus, toxoplasma gondii (toxoplasmosis) or HIV. Even events that cause brain damage and asphyxia can compromise fetal brain development, as well as severe malnutrition in pregnancy. Also responsible for mental retardation can be exposure to drugs (eg anti-epileptics and chemotherapy) or to toxic substances (as in the case of the fetal alcohol syndrome or chronic lead or mercury intoxication); analogous speech for some endocrine imbalances (congenital hypothyroidism and cretinism). The metabolic causes of mental retardation include phenylketonuria, galactosemia and aglycogenosis; among the genetic ones, Williams syndrome, Down syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, Angelman syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, fragile X syndrome and Rett syndrome.

Intellectual disability is associated with reduced communication skills and limitations in personal autonomy and social skills.

Physical, emotional and cognitive stimuli are indispensable for the growth, development and social adaptation of the mentally retarded patient.