Understanding Cerebral Palsy: Causes, Risk Factors & Early Detection

Cerebral palsy describes an incurable group of neuromuscular disorders that affect a person's muscle coordination and/or body movements. Sufferers are usually diagnosed as infants.

Fetus Development

• Cerebral palsy often results from brain damage sustained to a fetus during the first six months of a pregnancy, often as a result of a lack of oxygen or blood supply to the brain, or as a result of a genetic disorder that retards brain development.

Pregnancy

• During pregnancy, a mother will sometimes spread a bacterial or viral infection to her fetus, fail to supply enough blood to her baby or expose her baby to toxins. A mother's health problems, such as diabetes or anemia, can put a baby at risk for cerebral palsy.

Delivery

• Cerebral palsy can sometimes be caused by an injury sustained to a baby during delivery, often as a result of bleeding or a rise in body temperature of the mother.

Premature Babies

• Kidshealth.org states that premature babies and those born during multiple births are at a greater risk for cerebral palsy, especially if they weigh less than 3.3 pounds.

Childhood Illnesses and Injuries

• Children may develop cerebral palsy before they are two years old if they contract bacterial meningitis, viral encephalitis, malnutrition, jaundice, shaken baby syndrome or lead poisoning. Head trauma is another cause.