Allan Wilson asked:


Cerebral palsy affects approximately 800,000 children and adults in the United States.

CP is a chronic condition that affects body movements and muscle coordination. It is caused by damage to one or more specific areas of the brain, usually occurring during fetal development, or during infancy.

Cerebral palsy was considered a distinct condition in 1861. Dr. William John Little, published the first paper describing the neurological problems of children with spastic diplegia (also known as cerebral palsy). This is still sometimes called Little’s Disease.

Two children out of every thousand born in America have cerebral palsy. At least 5000 infants and toddlers and about 1,400 preschoolers are diagnosed with cerebral palsy each year.

There are 4 types of CP. This next set of tips will discuss these types, and their differences.

Spastic

Spastic cerebral palsy is characterized by stiff or permanently contracted muscles. 70-80 percent of people with CP have this type.

Athetoid

Athetoid cerebral palsy is characterized by uncontrolled, slow movements. 10-20 percent of people have this type of CP.

Ataxic

Ataxic CP is characterized by a lack of coordination and balance. This type of CP accounts for 10 percent of all cases of CP. Ataxic CP (or any kind of CP) is not degenerative.

Mixed

Mixed CP is when one person has two or more types of CP. The most common type of mixed CP is Athetoid/Spastic-diplegic or Athetoid/Spastic-hemiplegic.

Diagnosing children with CP at a young age is important. Here are some of the symptoms to look for in a newborn child:

- Lack of alertness

- abnormal cry

- Trembling arms and legs

- Problems ******* and swallowing

- Weak muscle tone

- Favoring one side of the body

- Abnormal reflexes

- Seizures

Abnormal muscle tone is very common in people with cerebral palsy. Even as newborns, their muscles may change from low tone to high tone. They can also go from floppy to very stiff.

If you’re concerned that your child may have CP, look for developmental delays such as:

-Rolling over

-Sitting up

-Crawling

-Talking

-Walking

Understand that it takes time to diagnose cerebral palsy, especially specifying the type of CP. If it’s for a child, his doctor will want to take time to do tests and examine him several times before making the diagnosis.

Age and Race

According to research, the following people have a higher chance of having a child with CP:

-A mother or a father under 20 years old

-A mother over 40 years old

-African-American ethnicity

Blood Type

There is a rare circumstance where the mom’s and child’s blood is incompatible. This is called Rh or ABO blood type incompatibility, and it puts you at risk of having a child with cerebral-palsy.

Micro-Organisms

In rare cases, your infant’s central nervous system can be attacked by micro-organisms. This will put him at high risk of developing cerebral palsy.

Doctor Error

Unfortunately, there are some cases of cerebral-palsy where the doctor was at fault. There are now a ton of lawyers that are dedicated to bringing these doctors to justice. If you think a doctor was at fault for your child’s CP, you can talk to an attorney.

Here are some of the other risk factors associated with CP:

-Bleeding in the brain

-Infection

-Lack of oxygen



Carol

Craig Rad asked:


The name cerebral comes from the two halves of the brain. The other name of this condition, palsy refers to any disorder that affects the body’s movement. Cerebral palsy conditions are all related to the areas of the brain that are associated with the motor systems that control body movement.

These areas have either been damaged or have been disturbed during their development and caused a disruption in the brain’s ability to control movement and posture. There are several palsy types that are characterized by poor coordination, poor balance and abnormal movement patterns.

Almost all cerebral palsy types are non-progressive except ataxic palsy, which is the most rare and most serious cerebral palsy type. This brain conditions cannot be cured, but it has been shown that through early diagnosis and treatment a child’s capabilities can be considerably improved. It has also been discovered that children suffering of a palsy type is most often than not suffering of other medical disorders like epilepsy, growth problems or even vision or hearing problems.

There are four main palsy types. The most common type is the Spastic cerebral palsy type that covers around 70 to 80 percent of the sufferers and it is characterized by stiffly and permanently contracted muscles. Another palsy type of condition is the Atheoid and it is manifested to about 10 to 20 percent of the sufferers. This condition is characterized by uncontrolled and slaw movements. The most serious cerebral palsy type is the Ataxic one.

The ataxic cerebral palsy is manifested to 5 to 10 percent of children with such disorders and it affects depth perception and balance. The mixed type is usually a mixture of two of the above-mentioned types, most commonly spastic and atheoid. The palsy can also be classified as monoplegic, diplegic, triplegic or quadriplegic, depending on the muscle groups affected.

Atheoid cerebral palsy - This palsy type represents about 10 to 20 percent of the cases of cerebral palsy and it should be noted that the percent used to be much higher. The most common causes of this brain condition would be hyperbilirubinemia or RH incompatibility between the mother and the infant.

The most visible dysfunctions caused by this cerebral palsy type are slow, irregular and involuntary movements that occur at the central line of the limb. Most children suffering from this type of palsy lack stability and symmetry. At children with atheoid cerebral palsy the proper support of the hips and trunk is crucial. It should be noted that these children have a perfectly normal brain development, but most of them have speaking problems because of the slowness in the muscles.

Ataxic cerebral palsy - This type of palsy is characterized by lack of balance and difficulty in performing coordinated voluntary movements. It is a rare form of cerebral palsy but it is very often found as a contributing aspect to other types of cerebral palsy. This condition results from damage to the cerebellum and it affects the limbs, trunk and even eyes. It is very common that children with ataxic cerebral palsy have an uncoordinated walk or gait.

Spastic Cerebral Palsy - This type of cerebral palsy is characterized by lack of control over the arms and legs. The muscles are permanently contracted and that is why movement is very difficult to perform. It is usual that the person suffering from this palsy type to experience pronounced resistance of the muscles after the movement was performed.

Mixed Palsy - This type of palsy is actually a mixture of the other types, its symptoms not fitting into a specific classification. The mixed palsy type usually manifests itself by different types of movement disorders. The most common combination is between the spastic and the atheoid types. In this case the brain has suffered damage in the cerebral cortex and the basal ganglia.



Holly

Hector Milla asked:


Cerebral Palsy is an umbrella term used to describe a group of chronic disorders impairing control of movement that appear in the first few years of life and generally do not worsen over time. The term cerebral refers to the brain’s two halves, or hemispheres, and palsy describes any disorder that impairs control of body movement. Faulty development or damage to motor areas in the brain disrupts the brain’s ability to adequately control movement and posture.

First thing’s first. Cerebral palsy isn’t a disease or an illness that can be contagious. It is a condition where the muscle movement is affected and will be there throughout a person with cerebral palsy’s life.

Cerebral Palsy is caused by a malformation or defect in their brain. And, in most cases, doctors do not know what caused the malformation and will not know how to prevent it if in case they knew what that cause was.

This is a disorder that is acquired at birth where they will have a brain defect while still being in their mother’s stomach, during or just right after birth. Once Cerebral Palsy is detected in the child, it will be there for a lifetime. However, this does not mean that your child will have to suffer a lifetime as well.

Today, there are devices that can assist in the learning process of a child with cerebral palsy. There are also special schools where your child with cerebral palsy can attend free of charge.

If you notice that your child is having difficulty in their developmental process, like reaching for toys, walking, sitting and talking, it is very possible that your child has this condition. Diagnosing Cerebral Palsy will be done by observing your child’s motor skills. If there is a delay in the development of these skills, your doctor will suspect that your child has Cerebral Palsy.

Living life with Cerebral Palsy can be difficult. But, with proper care and education, you can give your child a more normal life. You have to make extra effort in order for them to cope with living and also be independent in the future.

There are cases where some children with Cerebral Palsy that excels in education. Some have been attending and graduating colleges and some even lives a normal independent life once they become adults.

Treatment

A multidisciplinary team of health care professionals develops an individualized treatment plan based on the patient’s needs and problems. It is imperative to involve patients, families, teachers, and caregivers in all phases of planning, decision making, and treatment.



Chris

Hector Milla asked:


“Definition of Cerebral Palsy: This is a disorder of movement and posture which is apparent in the early years. It is due to damage or failure in development of the part of the brain concerned with movement. Adjacent parts of the brain may also be injured and this may lead to poor sight, deafness or other perceptual difficulties. Children with this one may also have learning difficulties. Impairment resulting from cerebral palsy may be very slight or very severe”.

What will you feel if one of your family members is showing the symptoms of cerebral palsy? Will you be in panic? Or rush off to grab a book to read more information about the condition in which babies are typically affected? It is very important to learn about the symptoms of C. P. and its effects to the life of a person that suffers from it.

It is also important to let those people feel the love and care of their love ones. What is really Cerebral palsy? And how can these conditions affects or change the life of a person?

This disease is a condition in which the patient is having an impaired control movement or involuntarily movement of the body. This condition is caused by the damage of the motor areas of the brain that disrupts the brain’s ability to control movement and posture. This only means, that people with c. palsy encounter much difficulty in maintaining balance or posture in walking.

Some patients have difficulty in controlling the muscles of the body. It doesn’t mean that when a person has a cerebral palsy, their symptoms must be the same with other patients having the same conditions. There are lot of symptoms that can be seen in them.

Children or even adults with this one will have a great effect in leading a normal life. They can no longer live their life like everyone else. They cannot write, walk, run, or even go to the school together with their friends but they can go to a special school designed for special people like them.

Loving and caring is the most important aspects for them to be able to survive and continuously live with their love ones. Let them feel that they are important, that they have an important role to lead and play in the society. Give them hope, a chance to live better. Don’t ignore the symptoms. Treating cerebral palsy may be a lifetime battle, but it is all well worth it.



Yolanda