An introduction to cerebral palsy

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An introduction to cerebral palsy

• Contributor
• Dr C M Ni Bhrolchain
• Huntingdon

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Cerebral Palsy

• A central motor deficit which is acquired in
  early life and is non-progressive
• Occurs in about 2 per 1,000 births.
• This equals about 8 new cases per annum in a
  district of 250,000

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Types of cerebral palsy

• Spasticity
• Hemiplegia
• Diplegia
• Quadriplegia
• Ataxia/Hypotonia
• Athetosis/Dyskinesia
• Mixed

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Causes of cerebral palsy

• Aetiology
• Infarct
• LBW
• Spastic Quad
• Ataxia
• Dyskenesia

• Pre-natal
• Perinatal
• Post Natal
• Spastic Diplegia (PVL)
• Malformations
• Injury
• Severe Hypoxia
• ? SBR

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Risk Factors

• Low birth weight
• Needing NICU
• Jaundice (severe only)
• Bleeding or infections in pregnancy
• Meningitis after birth
• No cause found? Genetic

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Associated Problems(Sheffield Series)
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Day-to-day Problems

• Difficulties with movement (1/3 cannot walk)
• Control
• Unwanted movements
• Slow doing things
• Hearing loss needing hearing aid
• More than normal children

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• Eyesight (¼ have problems)
• More likely to have a squint
• More likely to be short-sighted and need glasses
• Speech
• Speech muscles often affected
• Difficulty in making sounds
• Difficulty in making right sounds
• Hard to understand
• Frustrating

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• Feeding
• Muscles affected
• Cant use arms to feed themselves
• May choke/cough and splutter
• Frightening
• Poor weight gain
• Constipation
• Lack of movement
• Poor diet (feeding difficulties)

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• Learning difficulties
• Brain abnormal
• Added to physical problems
• Epilepsy (1/3)
• Need regular treatment
• Behaviour
• Frustration
• Abnormal brain
• Epilepsy
• Parents/carers feelings