Cerebral palsy is a immature, developed brain, most often before birth gives.a disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture.
Signs and symptoms appear during infancy or preschool years. In general, cerebral palsy causes floppiness or rigidity of the limbs and trunk, abnormal posture, involuntary movements, unsteadiness of walking, impaired movement associated with exaggerated reflexes or some combination of these.
People with cerebral palsy may have difficulty with swallowing and commonly have eye muscle imbalance. People with cerebral palsy may have reduced range of motion at various joints of their bodies due to muscle stiffness.
The effect of cerebral palsy on functional abilities varies greatly. Some people can walk while others are not able to walk. Some people show near normal intellectual function, but others may have intellectual disabilities. Epilepsy, blindness or deafness also may be present.
Causes
Cerebral palsy is caused by an abnormality or disruption in brain development, usually before a child is born. In many cases, the exact trigger of this abnormality isn’t known. Factors that may lead to problems with brain development include:
- Random mutations in genes that control brain development.
- Maternal infections that affect the developing fetus.
- Fetal stroke, a disruption of blood supply to the developing brain.
- Lack of oxygen to the brain (asphyxia) related to difficult labor or delivery. This is rarely a cause.
- Infant infections that cause inflammation in or around the brain.
- Traumatic head injury to an infant from a motor vehicle accident or fall.
Prevention
- Make sure you’re vaccinated. Vaccination against diseases such as rubella may prevent an infection that could cause fetal brain damage.
- Take care of yourself. The healthier you are heading into a pregnancy, the less likely you’ll be to develop an infection that may result in cerebral palsy.
- Seek early and continuous prenatal care. Regular visits to your doctor during your pregnancy are a good way to reduce health risks to you and your unborn baby. Seeing your doctor regularly can help prevent premature birth, low birth weight and infections.
- Practice good child safety. Prevent head injuries by providing your child with a car seat, bicycle helmet, safety rails on beds and appropriate supervision.
