CEREBRAL PALSY
QUESTIONS ABOUT CEREBRAL PALSY
1. What causes it?
In each child with cerebral palsy, the parts of the brain that are damaged are different. The
causes are often difficult to find.
• Causes before birth:
• Infections of the mother while she is pregnant. These include German measles
and shingles (herpes zoster).
• Differences between the blood of mother and child (Rh incompatibility).
• Problems of the mother, such as diabetes or toxemia of pregnancy.
• Inherited. This is rare, but there is a ‘familial spastic paraplegia’.
• No cause can be found in about 30% of the children.
• Causes around the time of birth:
• Lack of oxygen (air) at birth. The baby does not breathe soon enough and becomes
blue and limp. In some areas, misuse of hormones (oxytocics) to speed up birth
narrows the blood vessels in the womb so much that the baby does not get enough
oxygen. In other cases, the baby may have the cord wrapped around her neck. The
baby is born blue and limp—with brain damage.
• Birth injuries from difficult births. These are mostly large babies of mothers who
are small or very young. The baby’s head may be pushed out of shape, blood vessels
torn, and the brain damaged.
• Prematurity. Babies born before 9 months and who weigh under 2 kilos (5 pounds)
are much more likely to have cerebral palsy. In rich countries, over half the cases of
cerebral palsy happen in babies that are born early.
• Causes after birth:
• Very high fever due to infection or dehydration (water loss from diarrhea). It is more
common in bottle-fed babies.
• Brain infections (meningitis, encephalitis). There are many causes, including
malaria and tuberculosis.
• Head injuries.
• Lack of oxygen from drowning, gas poisoning, or other causes.
• Poisoning from lead glazes on pottery, pesticides sprayed on crops, and other
poisons.
• Bleeding or blood clots in the brain, often from unknown cause.
• Brain tumors. These cause progressive brain damage in which the signs are similar
to cerebral palsy but steadily get worse.
2. Is cerebral palsy contagious? No! It cannot be passed from one child to another.
3. Can persons with cerebral palsy marry and have children? Yes. And the children will
not have the condition (except maybe in a very rare type of cerebral palsy).
4. What medical or surgical treatment is there?
Except for drugs to control seizures, medicines usually do not help. (Although medicines
to reduce spasticity are often prescribed, they usually do no good, and may cause problems.)
Surgery is sometimes useful for correcting severe, stubborn contractures. However, surgery
to weaken or release spastic muscles is less often effective and sometimes makes things
worse. Careful evaluation is needed. Surgery usually should be considered only if the child
is already walking and has increasing difficulty because of contractures. In a child who
cannot balance well enough to stand, surgery usually will not help. Sometimes surgery to
separate the legs can help make cleaning and bathing easier.
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disabled village children