CEREBRAL PALSY

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy

Introduction

Cerebral palsy (CP) is an abnormality of motor function (as opposed to mental function) and postural tone that is acquired at an early age, even before birth. Signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy usually show in the first year of life.

This abnormality in the motor system is the result of brain lesions that are non-progressive. The motor system of the body provides the ability to move and control movements. A brain lesion is any abnormality of brain structure or function. "Non-progressive" means that the lesion does not produce ongoing degeneration of the brain. It is also implies that the brain lesion is the result of a one-time brain injury, that will not occur again. Whatever the brain damage that occurred at the time of the injury is the extent of damage for the rest of the child's life (Whelan, 2004).

Cerebral palsy affects approximately one to three out of every thousand children born. However, it is much higher in infants born with very low weight and in premature infants. Interestingly, new treatment methods that resulted in an increased survival rate of low-birth weight and premature infants actually resulted in an overall increase number of children with cerebral palsy. The new technologies, however, did not change the rate of cerebral palsy in children born full term and with normal weight.

Causes of Cerebral Palsy

The term cerebral palsy does not indicate the cause or prognosis of the child with cerebral palsy. There are many possible causes of cerebral palsy.

In full term infants the cause of cerebral palsy is usually prenatal and not related to events at time of delivery; in most instances it is related to events that happened during the pregnancy while the fetus is developing inside the mother's womb.

Premature birth is a risk factor for cerebral palsy. The premature brain is at a high risk of bleeding, and when severe enough, it can result in cerebral palsy. Children that are born prematurely can also develop serious respiratory distress due to immature and poorly developed lungs. This can lead to periods of decreased oxygen delivered to the brain that might result in cerebral palsy. A poorly understood brain process observed in some premature infants is called periventricular leukomalacia. This is a disorder in which holes form in the white matter of the premature infant's brain. The white matter is necessary for the normal processing of signals that are transmitted throughout the brain, and from the brain to the rest of the body (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2011).

White matter abnormalities are observed in many cases of cerebral palsy. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that the vast majority of premature infants, even those born very prematurely, do not suffer from cerebral palsy. There have been many advances in the field of neonatology (the care and study of problems affecting newborn infants) which have enhanced the survival of very premature infants.

Other important causes of cerebral palsy include accidents of brain development, genetic disorders, stroke due to abnormal blood vessels or ...