Causes of Cerebral Palsy

It is not unusual for people to see a child that has problems in the development of muscle, balance and posture; or sometimes, it may also involve mental retardation, breathing problems, skeletal deformities, and hearing and vision problems. This condition is called cerebral palsy, a group of disorders that involve brain damage.

There are many possible causes of cerebral palsy. However, most of the time, the definite cause for one child’s cerebral palsy cannot be determined because of the many factors affecting brain development. This condition can develop as early as during the mother’s pregnancy up to the first three years of a child’s life.

Below are some of the most common causes of cerebral palsy.

* Infections during pregnancy. A mother can become infected with several conditions during pregnancy that could possibly cause brain damage to the unborn child. Some of these are: Rubella or German measles; cytomegalovirus, a virus that is similar to herpes; and toxoplasmosis, an parasitic disease that can be acquired from the feces of a cat or raw meat.

* Asphyxia or hypoxia before birth. The longer a baby’s brain goes without adequate oxygen, the higher the chances of developing brain damage.

* Trauma during labor and delivery. Many things can happen during labor and delivery, like inadequate oxygen and other complications, that could result to injury to the brain. Unfortunately, medical mistakes could also happen during labor and delivery, which could cause brain damage and result to cerebral palsy.

* Premature birth. Often, the organs of a premature baby are not yet fully mature for the outside world. This includes the lungs, which can cause a lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain. In fact, a baby born prematurely is 8 times more likely to develop cerebral palsy.

* Jaundice. Although almost 50% of newborn babies may develop jaundice because of a buildup of bilirubin in his blood, unusually higher bilirubin levels may lead to brain damage.

* Brain injury. Even if the baby is delivered without any sign of brain damage, injury to the brain could still be among the possible causes of cerebral palsy after birth. Among these are near drowning, shaken baby syndrome, choking, and head injury.

Anyone who has a relative suffering from cerebral palsy will definitely look for information about the causes of cerebral palsy. It warrants them to look for answers for what they see as a hopeless condition of their relative. By understanding the disorder, they can better take care of their sick relative and cope up with the situation together. Here is a brief history of the disease.

Origin

Cerebral Palsy existed as early as women gave birth. Although there is no written proof to that, many researchers believe that many people suffered from the illness even before the in-depth study began. In 1861, the first documented case of the causes of cerebral palsy happened under the physician Dr. William John Little. He noticed the difficulty in muscular control of some children. They showed uncontrollable muscle twitching, trouble walking and grasping objects. During the time, he hypothesized that the causes of the cerebral palsy was due to lack of oxygen during childbirth, which precipitated to the brain damage.

Sigmund Freud

In 1897, this notable psychiatrist argued the beliefs of Dr. Little, saying that the causes of cerebral palsy start even before birth. He pointed out the presence of mental retardation, visual impairment and seizures among the children analyzed by Dr. Little. He strongly believed that the complications at birth were results of an underlying condition that affected the development of the fetus. Although his theory had sound basis, many people during the time, including the medical practitioner, still supported the original belief.

Modern Studies

In 1980, when many medical diagnostic imaging techniques came about, researchers were able to study the causes of cerebral palsy. With the aid of technology, they had better understanding of the disease. Although trauma during childbirth can be a factor, it is not the sole reason for the development of the problem. Biomedical researchers are looking into other possible reasons such as environment, nutrition and genes of the parents.

Now that you know how the understanding of the disease evolved, your role now is to help your patients get prompt treatment and nurture them with love to combat the causes of cerebral palsy.