Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders characterized by abnormalities of movement and posture. It is specifically confined to the designation of motor problems of a non-progressive nature. These disorders are caused by injuries to the brain that occur during fetal development or during the first few years of life when there is rapid brain development 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). Affected brain areas receive lower levels of oxygen (hypoxia) at some point, but it is not know why this occurs. It is suspected 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 infancy as a result of illnesses or head injuries. Injury to the cerebrum can result in the loss of nerve functions in widely different areas. The classical finding of cerebral palsy 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 to this, there may be sensory abnormalities such as defects of hearing and vision. Speech abnormalities are common and seizures may occur.

Intellectual functioning may range from extremely bright normal to severe mental retardation. Symptoms are usually evident before the age of 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 cerebral palsy. Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common affecting about 50% of cases and involves overall increased muscle tone. Dyskinetic (athetoid) cerebral palsy involves development of abnormal movements (twisting, jerking, or other movements), and affects about 20% of cases. Ataxic cerebral palsy affects about 10% of cases and involves tremors, unsteady gait, loss of coordination and abnormal movements. The remaining 20% are classified as mixed, with any combination of the above symptoms. See FAQs for details