Cerebral Palsy is known as a group of disorders
with similar problems in control of movement, but with a variety
of causes.
Congenital Cerebral Palsy, results from brain
injury during intra-uterine life and is present at birth, although
it may not be detected for months. It is responsible for about
70% of children who have Cerebral Palsy. An additional 20 % are
diagnosed with congenital Cerebral Palsy due to a brain
injury during the birthing process.
About 10 percent of children who have Cerebral
Palsy acquire the disorder after birth. Acquired Cerebral Palsy
results from brain damage in the first few months or years of life
and can follow brain infections, such as bacterial meningitis or
viral encephalitis, or the results of head injury -- most often
from a motor vehicle accident,
a fall, or child abuse.
A large number of factors, which can damage the
developing brain, may produce Cerebral Palsy. A Cerebral
Palsy Risk Factor is not a cause; it is a variable which, when
present, increases the chance of something occurring -- in this
case, Cerebral Palsy. Just because a risk factor is present does
not mean Cerebral Palsy WILL occur; nor does the absence of a risk
factor mean that Cerebral Palsy will NOT occur. If a risk factor
is present, it serves to alert parents and physicians to be even
more observant to the infant's development.
Risk factors for Cerebral Palsy include the following:
premature birth; low birth weight; inability of the placenta to
provide the developing fetus with oxygen and nutrients; lack of
growth factors during intra-uterine life; RH or A-B-O blood type
incompatibility between mother and infant; infection of the mother
with German measles or other viral diseases in early pregnancy;
bacterial infection of the mother, fetus or infant that directly
or indirectly attack the infant's central nervous system; prolonged
loss of oxygen during the birthing process and severe jaundice
shortly after birth.
A child who is at highest risk for developing
Cerebral Palsy is the premature, very small baby who does not cry
in the first five minutes after delivery, who needs to be on a
ventilator for over four weeks, and who has bleeding in his brain.
Babies who have congenital malformations in systems such as the
heart, kidneys, or spine are also more likely to develop Cerebral
Palsy, probably because they also have malformations in the brain.
Seizures in a newborn also increase the risk of
Cerebral Palsy. There is no combination of factors which always
results in an abnormally functioning individual. That is, even
the small premature infant has a better than 90 percent chance
of not having Cerebral Palsy. There are a surprising number of
babies who have very stormy courses in the newborn period and go
on to do very well. In contrast, some infants who have rather benign
beginnings are eventually found to have severe mental retardation
or learning disabilities.
In dealing with Cerebral Palsy,
it is important to understand the available Cerebral Palsy Treatments
that go along with a Cerebral
Palsy Diagnosis after Cerebral
Palsy has been detected. Through extensive, technology based Cerebral
Palsy Research, there is hope for possible future Cerebral
Palsy Prevention.
If your child has any type of Cerebral
Palsy such as Athetoid
Cerebral Palsy, Spastic
Cerebral Palsy, or Ataxic
Cerebral Palsy, feel comfort in knowing you have made a step
in the right direction by contacting us.
