What is cerebral palsy?
Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect movement and muscle tone or posture.
It's caused by damage that occurs to the immature, developing brain, most often before birth.
Signs and symptoms appear during infancy or preschool years. People with cerebral palsy can have problems swallowing and commonly have eye muscle imbalance, in which the eyes don't focus on the same object.
The cause of cerebral palsy and its effect on function vary greatly.
Some people with cerebral palsy can walk; others need assistance. Some people have intellectual disabilities, but others do not.
Cerebral palsy is a lifelong disorder. There is no cure, but treatments can help improve function.
Causes
Cerebral palsy is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain. This usually happens before a child is born, but it can occur at birth or in early infancy. In many cases, the cause isn't known.
Many factors can lead to problems with brain development. Some include:
- Gene mutations that result in genetic disorders or differences in brain development
- Maternal infections that affect the developing fetus
- Fetal stroke, a disruption of blood supply to the developing brain
- Bleeding into the brain in the womb or as a newborn
- Infant infections that cause inflammation in or around the brain
- Traumatic head injury to an infant, such as from a motor vehicle accident, fall or physical abuse
- Lack of oxygen to the brain related to difficult labor or delivery, although birth- related asphyxia is much less commonly a cause than historically thought
Prevention
Most cases of cerebral palsy can't be prevented, but you can reduce risks.
If you're pregnant or planning to become pregnant, you can take these steps to keep healthy and minimize pregnancy complications.
Rarely, cerebral palsy can be caused by brain damage that occurs in childhood. Practice good general safety. Prevent head injuries by providing your child with a car seat, bicycle helmet, safety rails on the bed and appropriate supervision.
Source:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cerebral-palsy/symptoms-
causes/syc-20353999
