RAWALPINDI, Jan 20: Jaundice and fever during infancy have been identified as the major cause of mental retardation in children, a research study carried out by Dr Tahir Sharif, general-secretary of the Society for Mentally Handicapped Children, showed.

The study, carried out on mentally-retarded children at Chambeli Institute, showed that 32 per cent of the children had developed the problem due to jaundice and fever during their infancy.

Other major causes identified as causes of mental retardation are first cousin marriages (17 per cent), carelessness during pregnancy (17 per cent), Down Syndrome (13 per cent) and wrong treatment (nine per cent). Other causes noted with lesser frequency were microcephlus (five per cent), accidents during delivery (three per cent), premature delivery (three per cent) and hydrocephlus (one per cent).

Dr Sharif has recommended that the occurrence of the problem among children can be reduced through health education of parents; proper ante-natal, intra-natal and post-natal services; training of social workers; use of trained staff for handling delivery cases; pre-marital counselling and creating awareness among the general public about the issue.

Discussing the causative factors, Dr Sharif said new born babies usually developed jaundice. “High level of Bilirubin causes a condition Kernictaris, which is damaging to the brain,” he said.

He said fits occurring due to high fever of more than 102 degree Fahrenheit also damaged the brain leading to mental retardation.

Regarding first cousin marriages as a causal factor, he said this happened when both the mother and father got the disease, but was recessive, which then manifested in their offspring.

He said the only solution for this problem was pre-marriage counselling.

Elaborating Down Syndrome, Dr Sharif said this problem manifested when there were trisomi that was three chromosomes instead of two.

The children having this problem could have Mongolian features, obesity, congenital heart defects and simian crease in palms.

The researcher, while taking up the problem of wrong treatment, said it covered the reaction of medicines used during antenatal, birth trauma, cerebral anoxia, umbilicus cut infections like tetanus and repeated head trauma due to child abuse.

Dr Sharif said forceps delivery, complicated delivery, use of cow dung to coat the cut umbilicus, untrained attendants and unhygienic birth conditions constituted the causes that come under carelessness during delivery.

Delving upon hydrocephalus (large-sized head) as cause, he said it could be a congenital anomaly due to some virus. He said flow of cerebrospinal fluid was blocked leading to head enlargement.

He said the increase in the volume of cerebrospinal fluid compressed the brain, ultimately leading to mental retardation.