Definition (CDC)

A group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture.

Types of Cerebral Palsy

  • Spastic Cerebral Palsy – stiff muscles
  • Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy- uncontrollable movements
  • Ataxic Cerebral Palsy- difficulty with balance and coordination
  • Mixed Cerebral Palsy – symptoms of more than one type of CP

Causes

Cerebral palsy (CP) is caused by abnormal development or damage to the developing brain that affects a child’s ability to control their muscles. The abnormal development of CP can happen before birth, during birth, within a month after birth, or during the first years of a child’s life.

Statistics

Risk Factors

CP related to abnormal brain development or damage that happened before or during birth is called Congenital CP. Current data suggests that 85%-95% of cerebral palsy is congenital.

Some of the known risk factors for congenital CP are:

  • Low Birthweight– Children who weigh less than 5 1/2 pounds at birth have a greater chance of having CP.
  • Premature Birth – Children who were born before the 37th week of pregnancy have a greater chance of having CP.
  • Multiple Births – Twins, triplets, and other multiple births have a higher risk of CP. Some of this increased risk is because children from multiple pregnancies are often born early or with low birth weight.
  • Assisted Reproductive Technology – Children born from pregnancies from the use of infertility treatments have a greater chance of having CP. Most of this risk is due to preterm delivery or multiple births.
  • Infections during pregnancy– Infections that have been linked with CP include chickenpox, rubella, CMV, and bacterial infections of the placenta or fetal membranes.
  • Jaundice and Kernicterus – When severe jaundice goes untreated for too long, it can cause kernicterus, which may lead to CP and other conditions.
  • Medical Conditions– Mothers with thyroid problems, intellectual disability, or seizures may have a higher risk of having a child with CP.
  • Birth Complications– Detachment of the placenta, uterine rupture, or problems with the umbilical cord during birth can disrupt the oxygen supply to the baby and result in CP.

Prevention

The causes of CP are not fully known. CP related to genetics is not preventable. However, people can take actions before and during pregnancy and after birth that might help reduce the risk of developmental problems, including:

  • Getting early regular prenatal care
  • Contact your health care provider if you get sick, have a fever, or have other signs of infection during pregnancy
  • Talk to your doctor about ways to prevent problems if you are at risk for preterm delivery
  • Ask your doctor about jaundice bilirubin test after the baby is born
  • Take steps to prevent injuries in your child

Vaccines

The CDC recommends that all adults keep their vaccinations up to date. Childhood immunizations may wear off after time and need a “booster shot,” and you are at risk for other diseases as an adult.

All adults need:

  • Influenza – recommended every year, age 6 months and older
  • Tdap – (if an adult did not receive it as an adolescent to protect against pertussis (whooping cough), and then a Td (tetanus, diphtheria) booster shot every 10 years.

The CDC recommends the following vaccines for individuals before pregnancy as a prevention method for CP:

The CDC recommends the following vaccines for children that can cause meningitis and encephalitis as a prevention method for CP:

COVID-19 and Cerebral Palsy

According to the CDC, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including those with cerebral palsy, may be more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 due to underlying medical conditions, living in congregate settings, or systematic health and social inequities.

For more information and tools, visit the CDC’s COVID-19 Information and Resources for People with Disabilities page.

Resources

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