IGNOU PB Bsc Entrance-2023
Child Health Nursing (Pediatrics)
Medium
The commonest cause of mental retardation is:
Appeared in: IGNOU PB Bsc Entrance-2023
Explanation
- The term 'mental retardation' is now replaced by 'intellectual disability'.
- Birth asphyxia is a major perinatal cause of intellectual disability, occurring in 2-10% of cases with known etiology.
- It involves a lack of oxygen to the brain around the time of birth, leading to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).
- This brain injury can result in permanent neurological damage, including intellectual disability and cerebral palsy.
- While genetic conditions like Down syndrome are the most common overall cause, birth asphyxia is a leading preventable cause and the most plausible answer among the given options.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option A: Guillain-Barré syndrome is an acute inflammatory polyneuropathy affecting the peripheral nervous system, causing muscle weakness and paralysis. It does not affect cognitive function or cause intellectual disability.
- Option B: Klüver-Bucy syndrome is a very rare behavioral disorder caused by bilateral damage to the amygdala. Its features include hyperorality, hypersexuality, and placidity. It is not a common cause of intellectual disability.
- Option C: Korsakoff syndrome is a memory disorder, primarily causing anterograde amnesia, that develops in adults due to severe thiamine (B1) deficiency, commonly from chronic alcoholism. It is not a developmental disability originating in childhood.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Etiology of Intellectual Disability as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
- Nurses play a critical role in identifying risk factors for birth asphyxia during labor and delivery, such as fetal distress on monitoring, allowing for timely intervention.
- Post-birth, nurses are key in initiating and managing neonatal resuscitation and therapeutic hypothermia, which are time-sensitive interventions that can significantly improve outcomes.
- Providing support and education to families of infants with HIE is a crucial nursing function, helping them understand the condition, prognosis, and long-term care needs.
How to Approach the Question
- First, understand the question's core concept: causes of 'mental retardation' (intellectual disability). Note that this is a developmental condition.
- Evaluate each option to see if it fits the definition of a common cause of developmental intellectual disability.
- Eliminate Guillain-Barré syndrome, as it's a peripheral nerve disorder, not a cause of cognitive disability.
- Eliminate Korsakoff syndrome, as it's an adult memory disorder related to alcoholism, not a developmental disability.
- Eliminate Klüver-Bucy syndrome, as it's a rare behavioral syndrome, not a 'common' cause.
- This leaves Birth asphyxia, a well-known perinatal event that directly causes brain damage leading to intellectual disability, making it the most logical answer among the choices.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Etiology of Intellectual Disability
- Stem keywords: commonest cause, mental retardation
- Lead-in keywords: is
Question ID
QYw-3k36KUsdPQfUV1-KMt
Reference Book
E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 11771-11773
E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 344-346
Practise the full IGNOU PB Bsc Entrance-2023
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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