Many people probably never heard about cerebral palsy. Bur we have all seen children with movement disabilities. There is a great chance that they were suffering exactly from this condition. The term designates a series of movement disabilities caused by brain damage. These damages occur in different areas of the brain, leading to more or less severe symptoms. Depending on the area and extent of the injury, affected individuals will suffer movement disorders in different areas of the body.
Cerebral palsy is the most common type of movement disorder among children. That can be explained by the fact that in order for a brain injury to cause CP, the accident has to occur before, during or immediately after birth. In fact there are each year around 10,000 babies born with the condition. The causes of the injuries are various. The ones that occur before birth include infections in the mother or fetus, genetic problems, alcohol and drug abuse, high blood pressure of the mother or blood type incompatibility between mother and fetus, traumas suffered by the mother during pregnancy and multiple births which prevent the weakest from the babies to develop properly. Babies born prematurely or with a very low body weight are also exposed to the risk. In 90% of the cases these are the causes of CP.
The rest of 10% are caused by birth injuries. Birth injuries can happen especially during deliveries involving abnormal conditions, like breech deliveries, prolonged deliveries, deliveries involving umbilical cord problems, or cases when the baby is too large for a normal delivery and caesarean section has to be performed. If doctors fail to do that is time, the baby can remain blocked for too long in the birth canal and his brain will not receive enough oxygen. If brain cells suffer from lack of oxygen after a while they will began to die.
As most of the people already know, brain damage is incurable. If brain cells have died, the areas of the body they were suppose to control will remain affected for the rest of a persons life. But brain damage does not evolve either. However limbs and muscles groups that are affected will evolve as the child is growing and they can further develop in abnormal ways. That is why as soon as parents find out their child is affected, treatment has to begin immediately.
But diagnosing cerebral palsy is not easy. There are four main types of the condition, but the severity and the symptoms can vary from one person to another. Besides that even if most of the babies are already affected by the time of birth, they might not show symptoms until the age of 5. Considering the great variety of the symptoms, they can also be confused in different stages with signs of other conditions.
In severe cases parents can notice that their child is lying in usual positions, has difficulties swallowing and does not reach developmental stages by the time other babies do, like for example he is unable to control his head, to crawl, to sit or walk unsupported or to say words by the age of 12 months. In other cases abnormal muscle development can be noticed, the child might be using only one side of his body, or he can have difficulties in performing precise movements.
Although cerebral palsy is a disease that will affect patients for the rest of their lives, parents should know that there are several treatment options to improve the situation. There are also a series of foundations and organizations that offer financial and emotional support to affected families, and in case the brain injury was caused by medical negligence, families will also be eligible for financial compensation through a birth injury lawsuit.