Cerebral Palsy & Life Expectancy

What do Geri Jewell, Chris Fonseca and Josh Blue have in common? Besides being famous comedians who have appeared in sitcoms, on late-night TV, and in concert halls, they were all born with cerebral palsy, or CP. CP is an incurable condition affecting two in every 1,000 babies born in the United States each year. The signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy are numerous and varied, as are the causes and risk factors--making the question of life expectancy difficult to determine.

Symptoms

• The signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy are varied, and range from mild to severe. A person with cerebral palsy may have difficulty with fine and large muscle coordination, have stiff and rigid or weak and floppy muscles, tremble, jerk involuntarily, or walk awkwardly. The face may also be affected, especially the mouth and throat, sometimes making it hard to swallow, speak or control saliva. Sometimes the muscle of a limb contracts so tightly that it causes an arm or leg to curl in on itself, limiting mobility. These infringements on mobility and physiological functions can have negative effects on life expectancy.

Causes

• There is no one cause of cerebral palsy. Sometimes it is caused by an illness the mother contracts during pregnancy, other times it is due to illnesses or conditions specific to the baby. Chickenpox, German measles, cytomegalovirus and syphilis can all cause damage to the unborn baby's developing brain. Toxoplasmosis, a parasite in dirt and the litter boxes of infected cats, can also harm the fetus. Illnesses that can lead to cerebral palsy after birth are viral meningitis, severe jaundice and viral encephalitis. Congenital brain or circulatory defects can also lead to cerebral palsy, as well as lack of oxygen during labor and birth.

Risk Factors

• In addition to exposure to illnesses and injury to the brain, babies experiencing the following are at higher risk for cerebral palsy: being a multiple birth baby, having a low birth weight (5.5 pounds or less), being born prematurely (37 weeks or less), a breech birth (feet-first instead of head-first during labor), or being exposed to heavy metals or other toxins in utero.

Life Expectancy

• The life expectancy for people with cerebral palsy is various and difficult to determine. It depends on a multitude of factors, including the following:

  -- Severity of CP Symptoms
  The more severe the cerebral palsy symptoms, the lower the life expectancy, especially if the person living with CP has great difficulty in swallowing or breathing. Drug therapy, physiotherapy, and surgery may assist in alleviating some of the more severe signs and symptoms of CP, thus increasing life expectancy.

  -- Extent to Which CP Limits Mobility
  The better a person with CP is able to walk, the longer the life expectancy. Because of this, physical therapy and even surgery is used to keep someone living with CP as mobile as possible. Surgery to reshape and rehabilitate bones, muscles and connective tissues to enable the use of braces, crutches and walkers, as well as physical therapies such as swimming, are all designed to encourage as much upright movement as possible. If the person with cerebral palsy is confined to a wheelchair, treatment designed to decrease or eliminate pain, lessen the rigidity of the muscles, or keep the spine straight can also assist in lengthening life.

  -- Conditions Combined With CP
  Cerebral palsy is often accompanied by other complicating conditions that can decrease lifespan. Some conditions, such as mental retardation, carry shorter life-expectancy rates in and of themselves, and if combined with cerebral palsy, can be a challenge to a longer life.

  Though a person with severe symptoms, decreased mobility or multiple conditions may only reach 30 years of age, someone with mild, moderate or aggressively-treated symptoms may live to an age comparable with the general population, between 60 and 80 years.

Encourage, Support and Advocate!

• If you have a child with cerebral palsy, you know the day-to-day challenges this condition imposes. Although CP is incurable, there are many avenues to making your child's life a productive, positive and happy experience. One of the most important things you can do to extend your child's life is to encourage his independence and applaud every achievement, no matter how small. Be an unwavering advocate with medical and educational professionals, and encourage your child to set goals and to enjoy life to the utmost of his abilities. Keeping your child as active as possible--both mentally and physically--from an early age is the key to a longer, fuller life.