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CEREBRAL PALSY

"Cerebral Palsy (CP) describes a group of disorders related to the development of the movement and posture, causing activity limitation, that are attributed to non - progressive disturbances that occurred in the developing fetal or infant brain. The motor disorders of cerebral palsy are often accompanied by disturbances of sensation, cognition, communication, perception and/or behavior and/or by a seizure disorder"

CAUSES

  • There is rarely one single cause of cerebral palsy.

  • For most babies born with cerebral palsy, the cause remains unknown.

  • For a long time, it was believed that cerebral palsy was due to complications at birth, including asphyxia (lack of oxygen). Researchers now understand that this contributes to only a very small percentage of cases of cerebral palsy.

  • Now, it is generally accepted that cerebral palsy usually arises from a series of 'causal pathway', i.e. a combination of events that can lead to an injury in a baby's developing brain.

  • In 13 out of 14 cases of cerebral palsy in India, the brain injury leading to cerebral palsy occurs either in the uterus (while the mother is pregnant) or before 1 month of age. At present, the cause is not well understood for most of these babies.

  • Stroke is the most common cause in babies who acquire cerebral palsy after 1 month of age. The stroke may occur spontaneously or arise from surgical or heart complications.

RISK FACTORS

Some risk factors for cerebral palsy have been identified. These include:

  • Premature birth

  • Low birth weight (small for gestational age)

  • Blood clotting problems (thrombophilia)

  • An inability of the placenta to provide the developing foetus with oxygen and nutrients

  • RH or A-B-O blood type incompatibility between mother and baby

  • Bacterial infection of the mother, foetus or baby that directly or indirectly attacks the infant's central nervous system

  • Prolonged loss of oxygen during the pregnancy or birthing process, or severe jaundice shortly after birth.

  • It is important to understand that even if a mother or infant does have any of these risk factors, it doesn‟t mean that this will definitely result in cerebral palsy. It just means that the chance of having a child with cerebral palsy is increased.

TYPES OF CEREBRAL PALSY

Spastic Cerebral Palsy

  • This is the most common type of cerebral palsy. Spasticity means stiffness or tightness of muscles. The muscles are stiff because the message to the muscles is sent incorrectly through the damaged part of the brain. This is the most common type, affecting approximately 77-93% of people with the condition.

Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy

  • This type affects about 2-15% of people with cerebral palsy. There are two forms:

  • Athetosis is characterized by uncontrolled, slow, stormy, writhing movements;

  • Dystonia is characterized by sustained or intermittent muscle contractions causing twisting or repetitive movement.

Ataxic Cerebral Palsy

  • This is the least common type of cerebral palsy (2-8%) and is characterized by shaky movements. It affects a person's balance and coordination.

Mixed Forms

  • Many people have signs of more than one of the three types. The most common mixed form includes spasticity and dystonic movements, but other combinations are also possible.

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