Clinical Diagnosis · Nervous System · Medium

Microcephaly

Meaning: A condition in which a baby's head is much smaller than expected for age and sex, often with underdeveloped brain.

In practice: Zika virus infection during pregnancy has been linked to microcephaly in newborns.

Word parts

  • micro- means small

Many medical words are built from Greek and Latin parts like these, so learning a few helps you work out new terms.

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Which word means: A refractive error in which near objects appear blurred because light focuses behind the retina.

Which word means: A disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood around the body.

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