Narayana Health Care
  • Cardiology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Oncology
  • Book An Appointment
    • Video Consultation
    • Physical Consultation
  • English
    • Hindi
    • Bengali
Narayana Health Care
  • Cardiology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Oncology
  • Book An Appointment
    • Video Consultation
    • Physical Consultation
  • English
    • Hindi
    • Bengali
Home > Blog > Neurology > World Cerebral Palsy Day
Neurology

World Cerebral Palsy Day

by Narayana Health October 6, 2022
written by Narayana Health October 6, 2022
World Cerebral Palsy Day

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common neurological congenital disease, affecting nearly four people per 1000 live birth. Children born preterm or have low birth weight are more likely to develop cerebral palsy. Kids with cerebral palsy have motor and motion disabilities. Let’s understand what cerebral palsy is and how to prevent it.

What is cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy is a group of disabilities and disorders that are all interrelated but have unique representations in every child. In children, cerebral palsy is the most common motor and movement disorder caused by brain damage. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) monitor cerebral palsy through the Autism and developmental disabilities monitoring (ADDM) CP network. According to recent tracking from CDC’s ADDM network, about 1 in 345 children has cerebral palsy. It is more common in boys than girls.

Many children have one or more added neurological conditions in addition to cerebral palsy, known as co-occurring conditions. Around 4 in 10 children with cerebral palsy also have epilepsy condition.

What are the potential issues a child has with cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy is a congenital disorder. The symptoms usually appear during the first year after birth. In children with mild symptoms, CP is difficult to diagnose until they are a few years older. Mostly, children with CP show delays in reaching growth milestones. The following are the potential signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy:

  • Younger babies (3-6 months of age) with CP have a stiff and overextended body, and their head falls backwards when picked from a flat surface.
  • Babies older than six months with CP can’t roll over to their sides and have difficulty bringing their hands to their mouths.
  • Children older than ten months with CP face problems while crawling.
  • Children have learning issues
  • Walking and movement disabilities
  • Unusual posture 
  • Speech impairment
  • Difficulty in chewing or eating and excessive drooling
  • Cognitive deterioration
  • Hearing problem
  • Vision loss
  • Epilepsy
  • Joints and spinal deformities
  • Difficulty with fine motor skills, such as picking up things
  • Exaggerated reflexes
  • Instability of the legs or trunk due to floppiness or spasticity
  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Emotional and behavioral issues
  • Delayed growth resulting in a shorter body

What are the causes of cerebral palsy?

The prime cause of cerebral palsy is abnormal development or damage to the growing brain in the fetus, which affects muscle and movement control. Brain abnormalities or damage that lead to cerebral palsy may occur before, during, or shortly after birth and within the first year of their life, when the brain is still developing. Many children have cerebral palsy (80-90%) before and during birth (congenital palsy). The possible causes of congenital CP are:

  • Infections in the mother during pregnancy, such as rubella (German measles), chickenpox, cytomegalovirus, and placenta or fetal membrane infections, can increase the risks of cerebral palsy in children.
  • Poor brain development in the first 20 weeks of fetal life
  • Genetic abnormality 
  • Accidental ingestion of toxins during pregnancy
  • Premature delivery
  • Injury to the skull or head  during delivery
  • Brain lesion
  • Birth complications, such as uterine rupture, detachment of the placenta, or umbilical cord issues during birth
  • Multiple births, such as twins, triplets, or more
  • Children born with assisted reproductive fertility treatment have higher chances of having CP.
  • Maternal medical conditions, such as seizures or thyroid disorder

Other causes are:

  • Disruption of blood flow to the growing brain
  • Traumatic injury to the brain during the first few months of life
  • Seizures
  • Brain infections, such as meningitis or encephalitis 
  • The shaken baby syndrome can cause CP if the brain has not fully developed
  • Head injury due to a near-drowning experience or from abuse

How to prevent cerebral palsy?

However, it is difficult to prevent cerebral palsy, but you can reduce the chances of getting CP in your child. The following are some preventive tips on how to stay healthy and minimize pregnancy complications if you are planning to become parents or are pregnant:

  • If you are planning to become pregnant, ensure your vaccination chart has all ticks on vaccines mandatory before pregnancy. Rubella and chickenpox during pregnancy may cause fetal brain damage.
  • Take care of your health with a nutritious diet and exercise routine. Having healthy pregnancy will lessen the chances of your child developing cerebral palsy.
  • Avoid alcohol and tobacco use before and during pregnancy.
  • Illicit drug abuse during pregnancy can increase your child’s risk of cerebral palsy.
  • Regular visits to your doctor and proper prenatal care decrease the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and maternal infections, which increase the risk of CP.

Children with CP may require lifelong care and rehabilitation attention. Many medications and therapies, such as speech therapy, physiotherapy, and recreational activity, can be helpful to children with cerebral palsy.

Though cerebral palsy is difficult to prevent, proper precautions can significantly decrease the chance of its occurrence. 

Dr. Amit Shrivastava, Senior Consultant – Neurology, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, New Delhi

Brain DisorderCerebral palsycerebral palsy causescerebral palsy preventionchild developmentmotor and movement disorder
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsapp
previous post
How can we keep our heart healthy?
next post
Health Benefits of Smiling

You may also like

What is Beauty Parlour Stroke Syndrome

December 20, 2022

What to do when someone is having a...

November 17, 2022

A few words of Epilepsy

November 17, 2022

Migraine and Hormones in Women

October 30, 2022

Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness

June 10, 2022

समझें ब्रेन ट्यूमर को

June 8, 2022

Understand Brain Tumor

June 8, 2022

Multiple Sclerosis Causes, Symptoms, Treatment: A Quick Guide

May 30, 2022

Vertigo

May 20, 2022

When to know Headache is serious?

April 26, 2022

QUICK LINKS

Book an Appointment

Find a Doctor

Hospitals

Medical Services

About NH

Narayana Health

Narayana Health is headquartered in Bengaluru, India, and operates a network of hospitals across the country, with a particularly strong presence in the southern state of Karnataka and eastern India, as well as an emerging presence in northern, western and central India. Our first facility was established in Bengaluru with approximately 225 operational beds and we have since grown to 23 hospitals, 7 heart centres, 19 primary care facilities across India and an international hospital in the Cayman Islands.

Keep In Touch

Facebook Twitter Instagram Linkedin Youtube Telegram

Popular Posts

  • 1

    Boosting your Immune System against Coronavirus: How to minimize the risk of...

    April 2, 2020
  • 2

    How to maintain a Balanced Diet

    September 3, 2019
  • 3

    Coronavirus Testing – How to Test for Coronavirus? – Different Types of Tests

    March 13, 2020
  • 4

    Know about proper usage, disposal and reuse of mask

    April 6, 2020

Categories

  • Aids (5)
  • Bengali (1)
  • Blood Pressure (4)
  • Bone Marrow Transplant (12)
  • Breast Cancer (28)
  • Cancer (48)
  • Cardiac Surgery (23)
  • Cardiology (167)
  • Coronavirus (110)
  • Dental Sciences (2)
  • Dermatology (15)
  • Diabetes (37)
  • E. N. T – Paediatric (7)
  • E. N. T. (9)
  • ECMO (1)
  • Endocrinology (11)
  • Gastroenterology (34)
  • General Health (127)
  • General Surgery (4)
  • Gynaecology (46)
  • Haematology (5)
  • Health Nuggets (44)
  • Healthy Life (2)
  • Hepatology (14)
  • Hindi (7)
  • Infectious Diseases (4)
  • Kidney (5)
  • Liver (30)
  • Medical Oncology (1)
  • Mental Health (4)
  • Narayana Health (243)
  • Nephrology (34)
  • Neurology (103)
  • Neurosurgery (30)
  • News (6)
  • NH services (6)
  • Nutrition and Diet (27)
  • Oncology (108)
  • Organ Donation (1)
  • Orthopaedics (102)
  • Paediatric Cardiology (11)
  • Paediatric Liver Transplant (1)
  • Paediatric Oncology (3)
  • Paediatric Surgery (4)
  • Paediatrics (77)
  • Pain & Palliative Care (4)
  • Pregnancy (9)
  • Psychology (5)
  • Pulmonology (34)
  • Radiation Oncology (8)
  • Rheumatology (4)
  • Services (3)
  • Spine Surgery (30)
  • Stroke (7)
  • Swine Flu (1)
  • Transplant (1)
  • Urology (38)
  • Vascular Surgery (10)

Follow us

QUICK LINKS

Find a Doctor

Book an Appointment

Make an Enquiry

Feedback

Hospitals

Blogs

Privilege card

Heart Rhythm Disorder

NH CARES

Hernia

Lung Cancer

Brain Tumour

Liver Cancer

Heart Attack

Urinary Problems

Heart Transplant

Kidney Transplant

Bone Marrow Transplant

Pulmonary Hypertension

CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE

Liver Transplant & HPB Surgery

Cardiology

Cardiac Surgery

Neurology

Neurosurgery

Orthopaedics

Robotic Surgery

Vascular Surgery

Nephrology

Radiation Oncology

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

Academics

Clinical Research

NH Colleges

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe to our Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

About Narayana Health

|

Stakeholder Relations

|

News & Media Relations

|

Awards and Accreditations

|

Leadership

|

Careers

|

CSR

|

Sitemap

© Narayana Hrudayalaya Ltd | All rights reserved
NPPA Implant Pricing     Terms & Conditions     Privacy Policy     Disclaimer

Book Online Consultation