Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disability in childhood, affecting about one in 323 children in the United States. It's caused by brain damage and affects a person's muscle tone, balance, posture, and ability to walk. Many people with CP also have related conditions such as epilepsy and speech or hearing problems.
Understanding Cerebral Palsy
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Frequently Asked Questions
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What causes cerebral palsy?
Cerebral palsy is caused by a brain injury during pregnancy, delivery, or early in a baby’s life. Potential causes of brain damage include:
- Genetic conditions
- Metabolic disorders
- Bacterial meningitis
- Prenatal infections (e.g., toxoplasmosis, human parvovirus, herpes)
- Bleeding in the brain
- Lack of oxygen due to problems with the placenta
- Folic acid deficiency in the mother
- Severe jaundice
- Head trauma
Learn More: Causes and Risk Factors of Cerebral Palsy -
Is cerebral palsy genetic?
Some cases of cerebral palsy are genetic, but the role of genetics isn’t clear. Research has uncovered some genetic patterns related to the condition, including mistakenly repeated portions of genes, but they haven’t found a single gene that appears to be responsible for the disease’s development.
Learn More: Genetics and Lifestyle Causes of Cerebral Palsy -
Is cerebral palsy progressive?
Cerebral palsy is not a progressive condition, meaning it doesn’t get worse over time. However, it is a life-long condition that can’t be cured. Long-term symptoms can lead to complications, but many of these can be avoided with proper care and planning.
Learn More: Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy
Key Terms
- Congenital Disorder
Congenital disorders are present when a baby is born. More than 4,000 congenital conditions exist. Many of them impact development, function, or physical appearance, and they’re estimated to affect between 3 and 4% of babies born in the United States. Cerebral palsy is often congenital, such as when it’s caused by genetics, in utero infection, or folic acid deficiency in the mother.
- Cranial Ultrasound
A cranial ultrasound is a type of imaging scan of the head. In an ultrasound, sound waves are used to create a picture of what’s going on inside your body. One use of cranial ultrasounds is to identify brain damage in babies that may lead to cerebral palsy.
- Electroencephalogram (EEG)
An electroencephalogram (EFG) is a noninvasive test that uses electrodes to record the electrical activity in your brain. It’s most often used to look for seizures, such as in epilepsy, but it’s also used to diagnose other conditions as well. Because some children with cerebral palsy have seizures, an EEG may be used to check for seizures that are not obvious.
- Gene Mutation
A gene mutation is a permanent change to the DNA sequence that makes up one of your genes in a way that’s different from most other people’s genes. In cerebral palsy, experts used to think only a small percentage of cases were genetic, but more recent research has indicated genetic mutation may be more common than originally thought.