Cerebral Palsy

Cause

Since cerebral palsy refers to a group of disorders, there is no exact known cause. Some major causes are asphyxia, hypoxia of the brain, birth trauma or premature birth, genetic susceptibility, certain infections in the mother during and before birth, central nervous system infections, trauma, and consecutive hematomas. After birth, the condition may be caused by toxins, physical brain injury, incidents involving hypoxia to the brain (such as drowning), and encephalitis or meningitis. However the cause of most individual cases of cerebral palsy is unknown.

Recent research has demonstrated that intrapartum asphyxia is not the most important cause as it was once considered to be, though it still plays a role, probably accounting for no more than 10 percent of all cases. The research has shown that infections in the mother, even infections that are not easily detected, may triple the risk of the child developing the disorder, mainly as the result of the toxicity to the fetal brain of cytokines that are produced as part of the inflammatory response.

Premature babies have a higher risk because their organs are not yet fully developed. This increases the risk of asphyxia and other injury to the brain, which in turn increases the incidence of cerebral palsy. Periventricular leukomalacia is an important cause of cerebral palsy.

Also, some structural brain anomalies such as lissencephaly cause symptoms of CP, although whether that could be considered CP is a matter of opinion (some people say CP must be due to brain damage, whereas these people never had a normal brain). Often this goes along with rare chromosome disorders.

United Cerebral Palsy gets new leader - Daytona Beach News-Journal United Cerebral Palsy gets new leader Daytona Beach News-Journal DAYTONA BEACH -- The former chief executive officer of the United Cerebral Palsy chapter in St. Louis will be the new leader ... Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:25:33 GMT+00:00 Preterm birth linked to increased risk for cerebral palsy - Pediatric SuperSite kjrh.com Preterm birth linked to increased risk for cerebral palsy Pediatric SuperSite Delivery before or after 40 weeks' gestational age may increase a child's chances of developing cerebral palsy, study results indicate. ... Increased risk for cerebral palsy for pre- and post-term birthsHealthCanal.com all 3 news articles » Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:04:07 GMT+00:00 Gymnast builds muscle, slows effects of cerebral palsy - Kilgore News Herald Gymnast builds muscle, slows effects of cerebral palsy Kilgore News Herald IMPROVED BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS - Robert Flynn, left, performs a cartwheel during a recent Acro-flyers training class. ... Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:06:31 GMT+00:00 Timing of Delivery May Affect Cerebral Palsy Risk - WebMD TopNews United Kingdom (blog) Timing of Delivery May Affect Cerebral Palsy Risk WebMD Aug. 31, 2010 -- Babies delivered at 37 or 38 weeks -- or at 42 weeks or later -- are at increased risk for cerebral palsy compared to those ... Babies Born Late May Face Small Cerebral Palsy RiskBusinessWeek Slightly Premature Babies At Risk For Cerebral PalsyNPR Timing of Birth Linked to Cerebral PalsyTIME (blog) AboutLawsuits.com -The Press Association -CTV.ca all 76 news articles » Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:38:13 GMT+00:00 Cadets Run to Raise Money for Cerebral Palsy - KKTV 11 News Cadets Run to Raise Money for Cerebral Palsy KKTV 11 News KKTV firmly believes in freedom of speech for all and we are happy to provide this forum for the community to share opinions and facts. ... Cadets Run to Raise Money for Cerebral PalsyKKTV 11 News all 6 news articles » Mon, 06 Sep 2010 01:45:43 GMT+00:00 Medical pump helps teen with cerebral palsy move a little easier - Central Florida News 13 Central Florida News 13 Medical pump helps teen with cerebral palsy move a little easier Central Florida News 13 Fourteen-year-old Andrew Brettner from St. Petersburg was diagnosed with cerebal palsy when he was just 10 months old. ... Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:56:44 GMT+00:00 Paris to Peking for cerebral palsy - Caulfield Glen Eira Leader Caulfield Glen Eira Leader Paris to Peking for cerebral palsy Caulfield Glen Eira Leader Leiah, Jackson and Tristan look over the car that John Hastie will drive about 14000 miles on their behalf. Picture: Paul Lougnan, N10wg410 IT BEGAN over a ... and more » Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:10:30 GMT+00:00 Cerebral palsy theatre group to hit the stage - Southern Star Southern Star Cerebral palsy theatre group to hit the stage Southern Star MONTHS of hard work will pay off next Tuesday when the Cerebral Palsy League's Screech Theatre Group performs on stage. Eleven high school students, ... Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:36:13 GMT+00:00 £4m awarded to cerebral palsy woman - The Press Association £4m awarded to cerebral palsy woman The Press Association A teenager with severe cerebral palsy is to receive £4 million in compensation. The family of the 18-year-old woman, who cannot be identified, brought High ... and more » Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:10:58 GMT+00:00 Teen with cerebral palsy can stay at Lanier - Montgomery Advertiser Teen with cerebral palsy can stay at Lanier Montgomery Advertiser A woman said Montgomery Public Schools informed her recently that she would have to relocate her daughter with cerebral ... and more » Sat, 04 Sep 2010 09:02:27 GMT+00:00 Page:  1