Who Is at Risk for Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is an irreversible condition caused by the inability of certain portions of the brain to regulate body movement and muscle tone. The parts of the brain affected in individuals with cerebral palsy can become unable to perform their proper functions either through damage or abnormal development before birth. There are five main groups of babies who run a higher risk of developing cerebral palsy due to this brain damage.

Severe Birth Defects

• Infants born with certain severe birth defects have an increased chance of developing cerebral palsy. While these birth defects mainly involve the neurological system---defects of the brain or spinal cord---they can also include skull or lung defects, both of which can be detrimental to the proper development of a young child's brain. Deformed skull bones can prevent the brain from growing appropriately, and lung defects can prevent the brain from receiving adequate oxygen.

High-Risk Births

• Certain types of high-risk births can also increase the possibility of a baby developing cerebral palsy. These include women pregnant with multiple fetuses and women who have an Rh protein that is incompatible with their fetus. An Rh protein incompatibility occurs when the mother's blood lacks a certain protein, known as the Rh protein, while the child's blood does contain the protein. In this situation, the mother's antibodies will attack the Rh proteins in the child's blood, decreasing the amount of oxygen-carrying red blood cells in the fetus. In addition, blood-clotting disorders---thrombophilias---present in either the mother or child can heighten the risk of cerebral palsy.

Delivery Complications

• Cerebral palsy was once thought to be exclusively caused by complications occurring during delivery, especially if the problem involved the newborn not receiving enough oxygen. Although lack of oxygen at birth still causes a baby to be at higher risk for cerebral palsy, it is now known that other delivery complications, such as premature birth, also contribute to elevated risk of the condition.

Complications During Pregnancy

• If a pregnant woman suffers from a severe infection or develops extreme thyroid or seizure conditions while she is carrying the fetus, the newborn will run a greater risk of developing cerebral palsy. All of these conditions can cause a profound disruption in the flow of nutrients and oxygen to the growing fetus, and this disruption can result in abnormal brain development.

Infant Brain Damage

• Not all risk factors for cerebral palsy occur before or during birth: Infants who experience a serious head injury or trauma that causes excessive bleeding or results in a brief time without oxygen can also be affected. Damage to the neurological system caused by an infection such as meningitis can also result in an increased risk of cerebral palsy.