Cerebral Palsy in Children

Overview

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a brain (neurological) disorder that causes problems with normal motor function. It's a lifelong condition that affects how the brain and muscles communicate. CP affects body movement, muscle control, coordination, reflexes, posture, and balance. These problems are caused by damage to or abnormal development of certain brain areas. But many children with CP have normal intelligence. CP can range in severity, but it doesn't get worse over time. CP doesn't get better over time either. With diagnosis and treatment, children can learn how to manage their condition.

Causes

CP occurs when there's abnormal development of or damage to areas of the brain that control motor function. This can happen before or during birth (congenital CP). Most CP cases are congenital. Less commonly, CP can happen after birth. This is called acquired CP and usually happens from an infection or head injury.

In many cases, the exact cause of CP isn't known. It may be the result of a problem, such as:

• Lack of oxygen to the brain
• Genetic condition
• Infection
• Bleeding in the brain
• Severe jaundice
• Head injury

Risk Factors

A child is more at risk for CP because of any of the following:

• Preterm birth (before 37 weeks)
• Inflammation of the placenta or amniotic fluid from an infection (chorioamnionitis)
• Blood clotting disorder
• Very low birth weight, especially under 3.3 pounds
• Infection with bacteria or viruses
• Chemical or substance abuse during pregnancy
• Bleeding in the brain
• Complications of labor and delivery, in rare cases

Symptoms

Symptoms can occur a bit differently in each child. A child may have muscle weakness, poor motor control, or shaking (spasticity) of the arms or legs. A child may also have muscle stiffness in the form of stiff legs or clenched fists.

The symptoms depend on what type of CP a child has. The types and symptoms include:

• Spastic diplegia. Di means 2. This is spasticity of the legs in most cases, but sometimes the arms. Diplegia is also called paraplegia.
• Spastic quadriplegia. This is also called tetraplegia. Quad and tetra mean four. This is spasticity of all arms and legs.
• Spastic hemiplegia. Hemi means half. This is spasticity that affects one side of the body, such as the right arm and right leg.
• Spastic double hemiplegia. This is spasticity on both sides of the body. The amount of spasticity is different on each side.
• Athetoid CP. This is also called dyskinetic CP. This is movement that can't be controlled (involuntary). The movement is usually twisting and rigid.