Indian baby born with head TWICE the normal size
- Jaya Dalvi suffers from hydrocephalus – a build-up of fluid inside of her skull
- It has caused her head to now grow to 71cm in circumference, reports say
- Doctors say the average size of a baby girl’s head her age is around 38cm
- Babies born with hydrocephalus require surgery to avoid being left disabled
- But her family, from a rural village in India, can’t afford to pay for specialist care
Sanjay Pandey
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Stephen Matthews For Mailonline
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A baby girl suffers from a rare condition which has caused her head to more than double in size.
Jaya Dalvi, four months, was born with hydrocephalus – a build-up of fluid inside her skull which could kill her.
It means her head was larger than average when she was born and has since grown rapidly to 71cm in circumference.
Doctors say the average size for a baby girl her age is around 38cm.
Jaya Dalvi, four months, suffers from hydrocephalus – a build-up of fluid inside her skull which has caused her head to double its normal size
Babies born with hydrocephalus require prompt surgical treatment to avoid being left permanently disabled
Babies born with hydrocephalus require prompt surgical treatment to avoid being left permanently disabled.
But Javi’s family, who live in the rural village of Valasad in Gujarat, a state in western India, can’t afford to pay for the specialist care at a private hospital.
Her father, Bhavesh Dalvi, 30, is a farmer earning just £2 a day, so he and his wife Jaywanti have been forced to take the baby to a state-run medical centre.
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He said: ‘We are trying everything possible to save our daughter.
‘Unfortunately, whatever we have managed to pool in is too little for her treatment.
‘I request to all kind-hearted people out there to please help me save my daughter, I cannot helplessly see her die in front of my eyes.’
But Javi’s family, who live in the rural village of Valasad in Gujarat, a state in western India, can’t afford to pay for the specialist care at a private hospital
If left untreated, the condition carries the risk of long-term mental and physical disabilities as a result of permanent brain damage and can be fatal
Dr Manoj Patel, who often sees Jaya at Surat Hospital, said: ‘If not treated in time, the disease progresses very quickly.
‘The babies usually die because their brain tissues are unable to adapt to the pressure.’
Treatment for hydrocephalus involves implanting a shunt into the brain to drain excess fluid to another part of the body where it can be more easily reabsorbed.
This thin tube has a valve inside it to control the flow of fluid and to ensure it does not drain too quickly.
WHAT IS HYDROCEPHALUS?
Hydrocephalus is a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain.
The excess fluid leads to increased pressure on the brain which can cause damage to the brain tissue.
The main symptoms of hydrocephalus are: headache, nausea, vomiting, confusion and problems with vision (for example, blurred or double vision).
The key treatment for hydrocephalus is a shunt.
This is a thin tube implanted in the brain to drain away the excess CSF to another part of the body (often the abdominal cavity, the space around the bowel) where it can be absorbed into the bloodstream.
If left untreated, it carries the risk of long-term mental and physical disabilities as a result of permanent brain damage and can be fatal.
Dr Patel added: ‘It’s done by paediatric neurosurgeons but we don’t have the resources to carry out the operation in our facility.
‘The operation is not a very demanding procedure and is usually lasts about 30 minutes.
‘The baby belongs to a poor family, so they cannot afford to expensive treatment for her.’
According to the doctors, the baby’s head at birth in general would be 35cm and should have grown to 38cm in four months.
It is not known what caused Jaya’s defect and is tricky to know how she came to have it without an expert medical opinion.
Dr Patel added: ‘It is near-impossible to know what related conditions she might be suffering from without conducting proper investigations.’
Hydrocephalus is caused by a build-up of the cerebrospinal fluid inside the skull, increasing pressure on the brain inside.
In non-sufferers, the brain constantly produces new cerebrospinal fluid at the rate of about a pint a day, according to NHS England.
Old fluid is released from the brain and reabsorbed into the blood vessels.
But if this process is interrupted, as in individuals with hydrocephalus, levels of the fluid can quickly build up and place pressure on the brain.
Symptoms include headaches, blurred vision and, eventually, permanent brain damage.
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