Cerebral Palsy

By: Bradley G. Goldberg, M.D.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) defines cerebral palsy as “a chronic disability of central nervous system origin characterized by aberrant control of movement and posture, appearing early in life and not as a result of progressive neurologic disease.” This basically refers to a type of brain damage that results in spasticity with or without mental retardation.

Currently in the U.S. there are 500,000 individuals with cerebral palsy, and almost 10,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

Until recently, cerebral palsy was largely regarded as a birth related event. However, in 2003 ACOG convened a Task Force on Neonatal Encephalopathy and Cerebral Palsy which concluded that only 10% or less of these cases are birth related.

Current medical thinking states that while it is sometimes difficult to determine the onset of this condition, the vast majority (up to 70%) of cerebral palsy cases appear to occur in the womb long before labor even begins. Some of these cases are genetic while others may be related to the placenta not functioning properly, among other causes.

The rate of cerebral palsy is higher with premature births, as well as with multiple births such as twins or triplets. In fact a significant increase in the rate of cerebral palsy is felt to be related the increase in multiple births resulting from fertility treatments. But rest assured, most multiple birth babies will not be affected by this condition.

Unfortunately even with all that modern medical technology has to offer, it is not possible to identify pregnancies that will develop cerebral palsy. But research continues with promising technology ahead.


Bibliography

1.    Blicktein I. Cerebral Palsy: A look at etiology and new task force conclusions. OBG Management. May 2003. 40-50.
2.    ACOG Task Force on Neonatal Encephalopathy and Cerebral Palsy. acog.com. 2003. www.acog.com.

 

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