Can Cerebral Palsy Be Prevented?

Cerebral palsy (CP) is actually a label that refers to a number of neurological disorders. The commonality is that CP affects muscle coordination and body movement, and it maintains a steady level of impairment rather than worsening over time. According to the National Institutes of Health, common signs of this disorder include a lack of muscle coordination when a person attempts to make voluntary movements; still or tight muscles, or conversely a floppy muscle tone; exaggerated reflexes; difficulty walking because one leg or foot drags; and walking with a crouched gait or on the toes.

According to the Nemours Foundation, there are three main types of CP, each of which is characterized by its main symptoms. Spastic cerebral palsy causes stiffness and makes movement difficult. Athetoid cerebral palsy causes involuntary movements and difficulty controlling willful movements. Ataxic cerebral palsy impairs depth perception and disturbs a person's sense of balance.

Although most people afflicted with CP are born with it, it is often not detected for months, or even years, after birth. Most commonly, it is discovered at some point between birth and age three. Parents or caregivers might notice the characteristic stiffness/tightness of muscles and lack of coordination, leading them to seek medical attention and a diagnosis. CP typically afflicts a person throughout his entire life.

Because "cerebral palsy" is a catch-all term referring to a set of similar symptoms that indicate neurological dysfunction, CP can have many causes. The most common include brain damage prior to, at, or shortly after birth; head injury early in life; and brain infections such as viral encephalitis and bacterial meningitis.

Research has shown that when certain factors are present at birth, a youngster will be at greater risk of being diagnosed with CP later in her childhood. These include a breech presentation (feet first) at birth, labor and delivery complications, premature birth, low birth weight, and seizures. Multiple births, such as twins or triplets, also face a higher risk.

Because CP covers such a broad spectrum and can have such a wide variety of causes, prevention is multi-facted. Preventative strategies are usually aimed at eliminating risk factors both before birth and after. During pregnancy, this means getting proper prenatal care to ensure that the fetus is growing properly and in the correct position. Mothers-to-be who have a disease such as diabetes, hypertention, or anemia should work with a doctor to make sure that it's under control so it won't cause a premature birth or affect the developing baby. After birth, it means protecting the baby from infection and injury and taking more vigilent precations for multiple birth youngsters and those of low birth weight. Exposure to lead should be prevented because lead poisoning can lead to brain damage that could result in CP symptoms.

CP cannot be totally prevented, and it is not curable. However, there are many treatment strategies to manage the disorder and significantly improve an afflicted person's quality of life. The most common treatments include medication to control seizures, relax muscles, and decrease pain; surgery to eliminate correctable abnormalities or release tight muscles; and medical devices such as braces, rolling walkers and wheelchairs. Speech, physical, and occupational therapies may also help.