Cerebral Palsy (CP)

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Cerebral Palsy (CP)
Information About Cerebral Palsy

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Information About Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy may be congenital, or acquired after birth. Congenital CP usually reveals itself before age three. Babies with CP may be slow to roll over, sit, crawl, walk, talk, or develop fine motor skills.

Cerebral palsy is not progressive. If symptoms worsen, or other symptoms appear, the problem may be something other than CP.

Nearly 800,000 adults live with some degree of CP in the U.S., and about 10,000 babies are born with it each year.

How is cerebral palsy diagnosed?

Parents are often the first to notice when their babies fail to reach developmental milestones, such as sitting up, rolling over, or learning to crawl or walk. CP babies may have unusual posture, favor one side, or have abnormally slack or rigid muscle tone.

If doctors suspect CP, they evaluate a child’s motor skills and take a close look at the child's medical history. A doctor also has to rule out other disorders that could cause similar symptoms. A comprehensive medical history, special diagnostic and brain-imaging tests, and repeated check-ups can help rule out other disorders. A doctor must determine that the child’s condition is not getting worse over time, since cerebral palsy by definition is not progressive.

What causes cerebral palsy?

In the 1980s, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) funded a study of more than 35,000 newborns and their mothers that challenged the belief (still widespread) that injuries to the fetus before or during birth accounted for most cases of cerebral palsy. It now appears that no single cause explains CP, and the study confirmed birth complications in no more than ten percent of cases.

What are some promising research directions?

Researchers are looking at many possible causes of the damage that results in CP, including genetic factors, environmental and dietary factors, and injuries from infections such as German measles.