Symptoms of Anencephaly

List of symptoms of Anencephaly:

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Anencephaly includes the 10 symptoms listed below:

• Blindness
• Deafness
• Unconsciousness
• Inability to feel pain
• Stillbirth
• Neonatal death
• Absence of large portions of brain
• Malformation of brainstem
• Absence of skull bone normally surrounding the brain
• Absence of scalp normally surrounding the brain

Note that Anencephaly symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Anencephaly signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

More ways to research these symptoms: To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.

Research More About Anencephaly

Do I have Anencephaly?

• Anencephaly: Introduction
• Anencephaly: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• How serious is it?
• Treatments for Anencephaly
• More about Anencephaly

More about symptoms of Anencephaly:

More information about symptoms of Anencephaly and related conditions:

• Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Anencephaly
• Symptoms that may be caused by complications of Anencephaly
• Underlying causes of Anencephaly

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

• Absence of skull bone normally surrounding the brain - see all causes of Skull deformity
• Blindness - see all causes of Blindness
• Deafness - see all causes of Deafness
• Inability to feel pain - see all causes of Pain
• Neonatal death - see all causes of Death
• Stillbirth - see all causes of Stillbirth
• Unconsciousness - see all causes of Unconsciousness

Medical Books Online about Anencephaly

Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Anencephaly are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Anencephaly.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Anencephaly:

Anencephaly occurs when the "cephalic" or head end of the neural tube fails to close, resulting in the absence of a major portion of the brain, skull, and scalp. Infants with this disorder are born without both a forebrain (the front part of the brain) and a cerebrum (the thinking and coordinating area of the brain). The remaining brain tissue is often exposed--not covered by bone or skin. The infant is usually blind, deaf, unconscious, and unable to feel pain. Although some individuals with anencephaly may be born with a rudimentary brain stem, the lack of a functioning cerebrum permanently rules out the possibility of ever gaining consciousness. Reflex actions such as respiration (breathing) and responses to sound or touch may occur. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Anencephaly Information Page: NINDS)

Anencephaly as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions

When considering symptoms of Anencephaly, it is also important to consider Anencephaly as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Anencephaly may cause:

• Birth hypoxia
• Foetal malposition
• Neural tube defects
• Perinatal morbidity
• Polyhydramnios

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

• Diagnostic Testing for a Diagnosis of Anencephaly
• How serious is Anencephaly?
• More about Anencephaly
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Lesser known silent killer diseases
• Books on signs and symptoms

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Anencephaly:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Anencephaly. This signs and symptoms information for Anencephaly has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Anencephaly signs or Anencephaly symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Anencephaly may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Anencephaly symptoms.