Health Promotion: All about Cerebral Palsy

28 Aug, 2016 - 00:08 0 Views
Health Promotion: All about Cerebral Palsy

The Sunday News

cerebral

Lee-Anne
UNFORTUNATELY the prevalence of children in southern Africa born with Celebral Palsy (CP) is on the rise. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) CP is one of the most common causes of chronic childhood disability.

Cerebral Palsy is a broad term used to describe a group of chronic “palsies” disorders that impair control of movement due to damage to the developing brain.

CP usually develops by age two or three and is a non-progressive brain disorder, meaning the brain damage does not continue to worsen throughout life. However, the symptoms due to the brain damage often change over time in some instances getting better and sometimes getting worse.

Between 35 percent and 50 percent of all children with CP will have an accompanying seizure disorder which unfortunately is accompanied by some level of mental retardation.They also may have learning disabilities , speech, hearing, or language problems.

What Causes Cerebral Palsy?

Congenital cerebral palsy results from brain injury during a baby’s development in the womb. It is present at birth, although it may not be detected for months. It is responsible for CP in about 70% of the children who have it. An additional 20% are diagnosed with congenital cerebral palsy due to a brain injury during the birthing process. In most cases, the cause of congenital cerebral palsy is unknown.

Researchers are still trying to come up with the actual causes of CP, but evidence supports theories that the following could be possible risk factors:

-Infections during pregnancy that may damage a foetus’ developing nervous system. These include rubella (German measles), cytomegalovirus (a herpes-type virus), and toxoplasmosis (an infection caused by a parasite that can be carried in cat faeces or inadequately cooked meat). Other infections in pregnant women that may go undetected are being recognised now as an important cause of developmental brain damage in the faetus.

-Severe jaundice in the infant. Jaundice is caused by excessive bilirubin in the blood. Normally, bilirubin is filtered out by the liver. But often, newborns’ livers need a few days to start doing this effectively, so it’s not uncommon for infants to have jaundice for a few days after birth. In most cases, phototherapy (light therapy) clears up jaundice, and there are no lasting health effects. However, in rare cases, severe, untreated jaundice can damage brain cells.

-Rh incompatibility between mother and infant. In this blood condition, the mother’s body produces antibodies that destroy the faetus’s blood cells. This, in turn, leads to a form of jaundice in the newborn and may cause brain damage.

-The physical and metabolic trauma of being born. This can precipitate brain damage in a faetus whose health has been threatened during development.

-Severe oxygen deprivation to the brain or significant trauma to the head during labour and delivery.

Some risk factors that increase the possibility that a child will later be diagnosed with CP include:

-Breech births (with the feet, knees, or buttocks coming out first).

-Vascular or respiratory problems in the infant during birth.

-Physical birth defects such as faulty spinal bone formation, groin hernias, or an abnormally small jaw bone.

-Receiving a low Apgar score 10 to 20 minutes after delivery. An Apgar test is used to make a basic, immediate determination of a newborn’s physical health. For the test, the infant’s heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, reflexes, and colour are evaluated and given a score from 0 (low) to 2 (normal).

-A low birth weight (less than 2 500 grammes) and premature birth (born less than 37 weeks into pregnancy).

-Being a twin or part of a multiple birth.

-A congenital nervous system malformation, such as an abnormally small head (microcephaly).

-Seizures shortly after birth.

Mothers who had bleeding or severe proteinuria (excess protein in the urine) late in their pregnancy have a higher chance of having a baby with CP, as do mothers who have hyperthyroidism , mental retardation, or seizures.

Not all children who are exposed to these risk factors develop CP. However, parents and doctors should be aware of these risks and watch an at-risk child’s development carefully.

Treatment and Management

CP children vary from the most severely affected, accompanied with blindness, loss of hearing, dependant for all activities of daily living to those minimally affected. Usually these children are seen by the rehab team (physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist and dietician). Most importantly its advised to start support groups for the children together with their parents or guardians.

For more information please email me on [email protected], or follow my blog www.healthpromotionbyleeanne.wordpress.com
Lee-Anne Hall
BSc Physiotheraphy

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