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Who Is Affected by Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is condition that affects one's abilities to coordinate movements properly. It can affect the muscles by either making them extremely stiff or floppy. According to the Mayo Clinic, about two to four babies out of a thousand develop cerebral palsy, usually as the result of infections or brain injuries. According to 4MyChild, a cerebral palsy organization, most babies with cerebral palsy are born with the condition; however, about 10 to 20 percent may develop cerebral palsy later as a result of a serious illness or injury.

  1. Premature or Low-Birth-Weight Babies

    • Premature or low-birth-weight babies sometimes experience brain bleeds. Severe brain bleeds can exert excess pressure, resulting in brain damage, which may lead to cerebral palsy.

    Babies Exposed to Diseases in the Womb

    • Babies who are exposed to certain illnesses while still in the womb are at a greater risk of developing cerebral palsy. These diseases include rubella (German measles), chicken pox and syphilis. Also, a woman who contracts the cytomegalovirus for the first time while pregnant may have a baby with cerebral palsy. In addition, the toxoplasmosis parasite can cause cerebral palsy in unborn infants. Toxoplasmosis can be contracted from cat feces; thus, pregnant women should not change litter boxes.

    Babies Who Contract Serious Illnesses

    • Cerebral palsy may develop as a complication in young babies who contract either meningitis or viral encephalitis. Also, severe and untreated jaundice can cause brain damage that may eventually result in the development of cerebral palsy.

    Babies Who Have Strokes

    • A baby can experience a stroke while still in the womb if a clot forms in the placenta. A stroke may also occur if weakened blood vessels leak blood into the brain. A stroke can lead to the development of cerebral palsy.

    Congenital Brain Defects

    • Some babies are born with congenital brain defects, often with no identified cause. Sometimes, however, brain malformations may be related to gene mutations, toxins and radiation. All of these defects may lead to cerebral palsy.

    Other Risks

    • Babies born in a breech position are more at risk of cerebral palsy. Also, babies born as a set of multiples are more at risk. In addition, mothers stricken with mental retardation, seizures or thyroid problems are at an increased risk of delivering a baby with cerebral palsy.

    Cerebral Palsy Prognosis

    • Approximately 90 percent of those infants born with cerebral palsy will survive until adulthood. Currently about 400,000 adults in the United States are living with cerebral palsy. Adults with cerebral palsy face special challenges because even though the disease itself does not progressively get worse, the process of aging affects their physical and mental limitations often more so than those without cerebral palsy. Also, adults with cerebral palsy are at a disadvantage health-wise because limited research has been conducted into the effects of aging on individuals with cerebral palsy.

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