Cerebral Palsy

Causes

Cerebral Palsy most commonly occurs before, during or shortly after birth. However, even an adult can acquire cerebral palsy as a result of any damage to the brain. This damage can occur during various stages of an individual's life.

PRENATAL CAUSES: While a child is still in the womb, it can offer suffer brain damage as a result of any of the following:

• A lack of oxygen to the brain. Most commonly known as anoxia, oxygen deprivation to the child may occur as a result of smoke or carbon monoxide inhalation by the mother, poisoning to the mother, and an overdose of anesthesia to the mother during a surgical procedure. However, the most common cause of anoxia to the unborn child is strangulation by the umbilical cord. Maternal Infection. Infections such as rubella and herpes are often causes of brain damage in the unborn child.
• Metabolic disorders. Disorders in the mother's metabolism caused by disease or other conditions have also been known to cause brain damage in unborn children. These include diabetes, heart conditions, hyperthyroidism and severe asthma.
• Rh factor incompatibility. Rh factor is a protein that is found on the red blood ells. A positive Rh indication means that the cells have this protein while a negative Rh means that this protein is lacking. If a mother is Rh negative, while her baby is Rh positive, the mother's body may produce antibodies that will destroy the baby's red blood cells. Since these cells carry oxygen, the baby may suffer brain damage as a result of oxygen deprivation.
• An abdominal injury to the mother. Any trauma to the mother's stomach can result in damage to the child's brain. The most common types of trauma are falls and car accidents.

PERINATAL CAUSES: During, and shortly after birth, a child can suffer brain damage as a result of the following:

• A lack of oxygen to the brain. A child may suffer a lack of oxygen during or after birth as a result of respiratory distress, umbilical cord strangulation or any other obstruction to the child's airway.
• Drugs. An allergic reaction to or the improper dosage of drugs given to the child may cause brain damage.
• Head injury. An injury to the child's head may occur as a result of a breech delivery, forceps use or the use of excessive force to remove the child from the birth canal.
• Pressure changes. An unusually fast or long delivery may cause a change in pressure that can damage the child's brain.

DEVELOPMENTAL CAUSES: Cerebral palsy may be caused by physical developmental disorders. These disorders are genetic in nature and may include:

• Microcephaly. Microcephaly is a rare, neurological disorder in which the head is smaller than the average for the age and gender of the infant or child. Microcephaly may be present at birth or it may develop in the first few years of life.
• Macrocephaly. Macrocephaly is a rare, neurological disorder in which the head is larger than the average for the age and gender of the infant or child. Macrocephaly may be present at birth or it may develop in the first few years of life.

CAUSES OF ACQUIRED CEREBRAL PALSY: Cerebral palsy can also occur in older children. This type of cerebral palsy is not related to birth or genetic disorders. It is usually occurs before two years of age and is most frequently caused by:

• Head injury. An injury to the head as a result of a fall, accident, or act of violence may result in damage to the brain.
• Infections of the nervous system. Infections such as meningitis and encephalitis may causes brain damage.
• Vascular problems of the brain. Clotting or bleeding in the blood vessels of the brain may cause the brain to suffer oxygen deprivation that may lead to cerebral palsy.
• Anoxia. Anoxia due to strangulation, carbon monoxide or smoke inhalation, or near drowning may cause oxygen deprivation leading to cerebral palsy.
  Growths. Growths on the brain such as cysts and tumors can also cause cerebral palsy.