What are the causes of congenital mental retardation?

Mental retardation is a group of diseases that occur during the developmental period and in which general intellectual function is significantly lower than the level of peers, and is accompanied by adaptive behavioral defects. Adaptive behavior includes both personal living ability and fulfilling social responsibilities. The developmental period generally refers to the period under 18 years old. Mental retardation has various names. Psychiatry calls it "mental retardation", "mental underdevelopment", and "mental defect". Education and psychology call it "mental retardation" or "intellectual deficiency". Pediatrics calls it "mental retardation", "mental retardation", and "intellectual developmental disorder". Special education schools call them "mentally retarded" and "intellectually disabled". So, what are the causes of congenital mental retardation?

1. Congenital mental retardation is a disease that occurs at birth. If the mother is exposed to harmful environmental factors during pregnancy, such as pesticides, organic solvents, heavy metals and other chemicals, or is overexposed to various rays, or takes certain medications, or is infected with certain germs, or even some habits and hobbies, such as saunas (steam baths) and eating habits, they may cause congenital abnormalities in the fetus, but they are not genetic diseases. If there are other people in the family who have had the same disease and they developed it at a similar age, it could be a genetic disease.

2. Congenital abnormalities can also be seen in women who lack folic acid before and during early pregnancy, which can increase the risk of spina bifida and anencephaly. Breech delivery and advanced maternal age often lead to congenital hip dislocation and mental retardation.

3. When close relatives marry, there is a high probability that the couple will have the same bad genes, and the possibility of these genes pairing up increases dozens or even hundreds of times. Therefore, the rarer the genetic disease, the greater the proportion of children born from close relatives marrying. Although the Han ethnic group in my country prohibits cousins ​​with the same surname from marrying each other, they do not prevent cousins ​​of the opposite sex from marrying each other. In fact, from a genetic point of view, cousins ​​are equally closely related, and their children may suffer from various recessive genetic diseases after marriage.

4. Due to geographical isolation, or due to ethnic, religious and customs, it is common in rural my country for people to marry without leaving the village, or for the couple to have the same ancestor for hundreds of years. In this way, although people in a local area have different surnames, they share a large part of their genes. The defects of these genes are likely to overlap and manifest themselves in their children. In our country, the incidence of genetic diseases such as mental retardation can be as high as 50%, all of which occur among ethnic minority populations in remote areas.

Once congenital mental retardation occurs, it will bring serious burdens to the family and society. Regardless of whether the child dies or survives, it will cause unbearable pain to the child and the family. To avoid its occurrence, in addition to staying away from various harmful physical, chemical and biological factors, you should also take the initiative to look for marriage partners among people who are far away and have no blood relationship with you.