About Cerebral Palsy?

Question

Causes - Cytomegalovirus, Hypoxia, Hypoglycemia, PROM

Answer 1

Cause


Cerebral palsy (CP) is a result of injury to or

abnormal development of the brain. In many cases, the exact cause of this injury is not known. The damage or abnormality may occur during pregnancy, birth, or within the first 2 to 3 years of life.

Possible causes of CP during pregnancy or birth can be related to genetic or chromosomal problems, infections or health problems in the mother or fetus during pregnancy, or complications related to labor and delivery. Any of these problems can affect how a fetus grows or deprive a fetus or newborn of needed blood, oxygen, or nutrients. Health problems in a newborn, such as untreated low blood sugar, can also cause brain damage that leads to CP.
Possible causes of CP related to an early birth (premature birth) are related to the brain's development. Babies born too early are at risk for bleeding in the brain (intraventricular hemorrhage, or IVH). A condition called periventricular leukomalacia, or PVL, which reflects injury to the white matter of the brain, is also more likely in babies born prematurely than in those born at full term. Both IVH and PVL put a baby at risk for cerebral palsy.
Possible causes of CP within the first 2 or 3 years of life are usually related to brain damage from a serious illness, such as meningitis; a brain injury, such as from an accident or fall; or not enough oxygen getting to the brain tissue, such as from a near-drowning incident.

Symptoms


Even when the condition is present at birth, the signs of cerebral palsy (CP) may not be noticed until a child is between 1 and 3 years of age. This is due to the way children develop and mature. Health professionals and parents may not recognize that a baby's movements are irregular until they become more pronounced as a child grows. These babies and young children may retain newborn reflexes and fail to reach age-appropriate developmental milestones. Parents and caregivers usually are the first to notice that a baby has developmental delays that may be early signs of CP.

When CP is severe, signs are often noticed at birth or shortly thereafter. However, some early signs of severe CP vary according to the specific type present.

Common signs of severe CP that may be noticed shortly after birth include:

Problems sucking and swallowing.
A weak or shrill cry.
Unusual positions. Often the body is either very relaxed and floppy or very stiff. When held, babies may arch their backs and extend their arms and legs. These postures are different from and more extreme than those that sometimes occur in babies with colic.
cannot be cured; however, a variety of treatments can help people with CP to maximize their abilities and physical strength, prevent complications, and improve their quality of life. The brain injury that causes CP does not get worse over time. New symptoms can appear or become worse over time, however, because of how a child grows and develops.

Specific treatment varies by individual and changes as needed if new issues develop. In general, treatment focuses on measures that maintain or improve a person's quality life and overall health.

Initial treatment
Physical therapy is an important treatment that begins soon after a child is diagnosed and often continues throughout his or her life. This therapy also may begin before a definite diagnosis is made, depending on the child's symptoms.

Medications can help control some of the symptoms of CP and prevent complications. This treatment may include injectable antispasmodics to help relax tight muscles and improve range of motion. Other medications may be used for common problems related to cerebral palsy, such as anticonvulsant medications for seizures.

In rare cases, orthopedic surgery (for muscles, tendons, and joints) or selective posterior rhizotomy (cutting nerves of affected limbs) for contracture or other mobility problems is performed soon after diagnosis on a baby or very young child with severe problems.

Often the biggest problem for parents is fear of the unknown. Learning about CP can help you to understand the condition and be familiar with some of the challenges and joys of raising a child with cerebral palsy. Being informed can help give you a sense of control about how to best help your child. For more information, talk to your health professional or see the Other Places to Get Help section of this topic.

Answer 2

Cerebral palsy is one of the most common congenital disorders of childhood. It is a disorder that affects muscle tone, movement, and motor skills. Here are some introduction about the types and causes of cerebral palsy in the following.

Types of cerebral palsy

There are three main types of cerebral palsy, which include:
• Spastic cerebral palsy — causes stiffness and movement difficulties
• Athetoid cerebral palsy — leads to involuntary and uncontrolled movements
• Ataxic cerebral palsy — causes a disturbed sense of balance and depth perception

All types of cerebral palsy affect muscle control or coordination, so even such simple movements as standing still are difficult. Other vital functions that also involve motor skills and muscles, such as breathing, bladder and bowel control, eating, and learning, may also be affected when a child has cerebral palsy.

Causes of Cerebral Palsy

The exact causes of most cases of cerebral palsy are unknown, but many are resulted from problems during pregnancy in which the brain is either damaged or doesn’t develop normally.

Answer 3

The simple answer is there is no difference between someone with cerebral palsy having children and someone without cerebral palsy having children. Some couples have trouble conceiving and some don't. Cerebral palsy does not inherently affect fertility.

Answer 4

my friend had cerebral palsy, when she was 13 she had a fit and died! Thats pretty much all I know about Cerebral Palsy, sorry!

Answer 5

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 (cerebral palsy), mainly as the result of the toxicity to the fetal brain of cytokines that are produced as part of the inflammatory response.
Please see the webpages for more details on Cerebral Palsy.

Answer 6

Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders characterized by loss of movement or loss of other nerve functions. These disorders are caused by injuries to the brain that occur during fetal development or near the time of birth.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors Return to top

Cerebral palsy is caused by injury to the cerebrum (the largest portion of the brain, which is involved with higher mental faculties, sensations, and voluntary muscle activities).

Initially cerebral palsy was thought to be related to birth asphyxia (strangulation during birth, which leads to lack of oxygen to the brain) and trauma, but in a study of 45,000 births it was shown that birth asphyxia is an uncommon cause of cerebral palsy. Affected brain areas receive lower levels of oxygen (hypoxia) at some point, but it is not known why this occurs.

Researchers suspect that certain factors or events during the development of the fetus may make it more susceptible to any hypoxia that occurs, and this may be why some infants are affected while others can suffer low oxygen levels but not lasting brain damage.

Premature infants have a slightly higher incidence of cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy may also occur during early infancy as a result of illnesses (encephalitis, meningitis, herpes simplex infections, and so on), head injury that results in subdural hematoma, blood vessel injuries, and many others.

Injury to the cerebrum can result in the loss of nerve functions in widely different areas. The classical finding of CP is spasticity (increased muscle tone) which may affect a single limb, one side of the body (spastic hemiplegia), both legs (spastic diplegia) or both arms and legs (spastic quadriplegia). In addition, there may be partial or full loss of movement (paralysis), sensory abnormalities, and defects of hearing and vision. Speech abnormalities are common and seizures may occur.

Intellectual function may range from extremely bright normal to severe mental retardation. Symptoms are usually evident before age 2 and in severe cases may appear as early as 3 months. Cerebral palsy is a non-progressive type of encephalopathy (injury to the brain) and symptoms directly resulting from the disease do not worsen.

Classifications of cerebral palsy include spastic, dyskinetic, ataxic, and mixed. Spastic cerebral palsy includes about 50% of cases. Dyskinetic (athetoid) cerebral palsy affects about 20%. It involves development of abnormal movements (twisting, jerking, or other movements). Ataxic cerebral palsy involves tremors, unsteady gait, loss of coordination, and abnormal movements. It affects about 10%. The remaining 20% are classified as mixed, with any combination of the above symptoms.

Symptoms Return to top

seizures
muscle contractions
difficulty sucking or feeding
irregular breathing
delayed development of motor skills, such as reaching, sitting, rolling, crawling, walking, and so on
motormental retardation
mental retardation
speech abnormalities (dysarthria)
visual abnormalities
hearing abnormalities
spasticity
progressive joint contractures
limited range of motion
peg teeth
Signs and tests Return to top

In many cases, a doctor's examination indicates delayed development of motor skills. Infantile reflexes (such as sucking and startle) may persist past the age where they usually disappear. Muscle tremor or spasticity may be evident, with a tendency of infants to tuck their arms in toward their sides, scissors movements of the legs, or other abnormal movements.

Various laboratory tests may be performed to eliminate nutritional or other causes of the symptoms.

MRI of the head demonstrates structural or congenital abnormalities
CT scan of the head demonstrates structural or congenital abnormalities
Hearing screen (to determine auditory status)
Visual testing (to determine visual status)
EEG
Blood tests to exclude metabolic or hereditary conditions
Treatment Return to top

There is no specific cure for cerebral palsy. The goal of treatment is to maximize independence. Treatment is guided by the symptoms exhibited and may include physical therapy, braces, appropriate glasses and hearing aids, medications, special education or appropriate schooling, and, in severe cases, institutionalization.

Mainstreaming in regular schools is advised unless physical disabilities or mental development makes this impossible. Glasses, hearing aids, or other equipment must be designed specifically for the particular disabilities and may assist with communication and learning. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, orthopedic intervention, or other treatments may be appropriate.

Medications may include muscle relaxants to reduce tremors and spasticity, and anticonvulsants to prevent or reduce the frequency of seizures.

Surgery may be needed in some cases to release joint contractures, a progressive problem associated with spasticity. Surgery may also be necessary for placement of feeding tubes and to control gastroesophageal reflux. Recently, the use of botulinum toxin injections has been show to reduce or delay the need for surgery.

Support Groups Return to top

For organizations that provide support and additional information, see cerebral palsy resources.

Expectations (prognosis) Return to top

Cerebral palsy is a lifelong disorder. Long-term care may be required. The disorder does not affect expected length of life. The extent of disability varies.

Complications Return to top

seizures
injuries from falls
reduced mobility
reduced communication skills (sometimes)
reduced intellect (sometimes)
social stigmatization

Answer 7

http://www.emedicine.com/NEURO/topic533.htm