What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is a condition that affects the control of posture and movement, as a result of damage or faulty development in a part of the brain.

On average, 2 in every 1000 babies will be affected by cerebral palsy.

The severity of the condition varies greatly from person to person. Some children will have slight, barely noticeable problems. Others, however, will be severely affected, and are unable to carry out day-to-day activities without help.

The three main varieties of cerebral palsy correspond to the type of movement problems experienced:

Spastic Cerebral Palsy - an increase in muscle tone and limited ability to relax the muscles of the affected area. Spastic cerebral palsy is classified as follows: Hemiparesis – affecting the upper and lower limb of one side of the body (left or right hemiparesis); Diplegia – affecting both the legs; Quadriplegia – affecting all four limbs and the torso.

Athetoid Cerebral Palsy/Dystonia - involuntary movements and loss of posture control.

Ataxic Cerebral Palsy - problems with coordination and balance.

Associated problems

As well as motor impairment, many people with cerebral palsy also experience learning disabilities, visual problems, hearing problems, epilepsy and attention deficit. People with quadriplegia may also have eating disorders and respiratory infections. Changes in motor function associated with cerebral palsy increase the risk of secondary bone diseases.

What are the causes of cerebral palsy?

In a large number of cases, children are already born with cerebral palsy. Some of these children have brain malformations, which can be caused by exposure to toxic substances or infections during pregnancy.

It is also possible to develop cerebral palsy during or shortly after birth. Among those at high risk are: premature babies (the more premature, the higher the risk), low-weight newborn infants and those who suffer severe asphyxia or brain haemorrhage during birth.

The main causes of cerebral palsy after birth are asphyxia, head injury and brain infections. In many cases, however, it is still not possible to determine the exact causes of cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy diagnosis and prognosis

Diagnosis is usually based on the observation of delayed motor development combined with abnormal muscle tone, reflexes and movement patterns.

In the first months of life, however, it is sometimes difficult to establish a diagnosis and a prognosis (prediction of the child’s limitations in the future). It might be necessary to wait some months until an accurate diagnosis and prognosis can be reached.

Cerebral palsy results from non-progressive abnormalities in parts of the brain. Therefore, loss of capabilities (regression) is not characteristic of cerebral palsy.