What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral Palsy (a.k.a. CP.) is a nonspecific condition in which brain damage before or at birth leads to partial paralysis.The most common cause of the disorder is traumatic delivery due to either a small maternal pelvis, large fetal head, forceps compression of the head, umbilical cord strangulation, or the partial separation of the placenta from the uterus before delivery. Other causes include oxygen deprivation in the newborn due to excessive anesthesia, delayed spontaneous respiration, or severe cardiac malformations. Certain infections during pregnancy may also increase the risk of cerebral palsy. These infections include toxoplasmosis, measles, mumps, cytomegalicinclusion disease, and syphilis, all of which may affect brain tissue. Bacterial meningitis or encephalitis may occur as a result of nonsterile delivery and cause brain damage. Similarly, a fetus subjected to radiation or toxic chemicals, including alcohol, is also a candidate for cerebral palsy.As a result of the above, the infant may have a small brain, hydrocephalus, or focal lesions in the brain. The child's appearance ranges from the demented and deformed to the bright, alert, and happy, with one wasted and spastic limb. Physical Therapy (a.k.a. P.T.) may provide some benefit, but the frequency of cerebral palsy will diminish only with improved prenatal care and delivery techniques.

General Information

• CEREBRAL PALSY
• INCIDENCE
• CHARACTERISTICS
• DEVELOPMENTAL, EDUCATIONAL, AND EMPLOYMENT IMPLICATIONS