Types of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is the general term for a group of diseases that cause difficulty with movement or excessive, sudden motion like seizures and involuntary spasms. This is due to damage in one or more sections of the brain, which does not get worse as a child gets older. About 1 in every 500 children over the age of three has some form of cerebral palsy, mild, moderate or major and it affects over 500,000 people nationwide. The effects of cerebral palsy range from involuntary muscle spasms to mental difficulties and seizures, depending on the severity of your child’s case.

Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Three types of cerebral palsy exist, with spastic cerebral palsy affecting accounting for 75% of all cerebral palsy cases. With this disease, spastic diplegia indicates a stiffening of the legs, which causes difficulty in walking because the muscles behind the knees are crossed. In some cases, only one limb is affected while others, the most severe, see difficulty controlling all four extremities as well as the mouth and tongue. Children with this severe form of cerebral palsy may also be mentally retarded.

Anthetoid Cerebral Palsy

About 10-20% of cerebral palsy cases are anthetoid cerebral palsy that is characterized by varying muscle tone changes, from too tight to too lose and inconsistent movements. Usually anthetoid cerebral palsy also affects the face, making eating and talking very difficult. A similar form, ataxic cerebral palsy makes fine motor skills like writing and balancing on two feet very difficult.

Cerebral palsy has many causes but most are caused by brain injuries that occur in the first three years of life or before birth. Lack of oxygen in the brain does account for some cases, but only a small fraction. Infections, like Rubella, viruses or parasites that occur within the mother before birth with corioamniotis quadrupling a baby’s risk of infection and irreversible brain damage.

Premature babies or those born with genetically passed blood disease are also at a greater risk to develop neurological problems associated with cerebral palsy. Babies born early often have poor immune systems, which expose them to ventricle damage around the brain. If the mother’s blood clots or is incompatible with the baby’s blood, oxygen cannot reach the brain and permanent damage may occur, causing cerebral palsy.
Observing how your child moves is the primary way to detect cerebral palsy. If you notice that your child has trouble standing, sitting up or rolling over, talk to your pediatrician about possible symptoms of cerebral palsy. The doctor will check your baby’s muscle tone to make sure that it is consistent throughout the body (and not tighter or looser in one limb) and test reflexes. Further tests like an MRI, CT-scan or ultrasound may be ordered to make sure that all brain functions are normal. The doctor will also take into account family medical history before ruling out cerebral palsy.

Treatment

There are many treatments for cerebral palsy, depending your child’s special needs. Your pediatrician may recommend physical therapy to help your child improve muscle strength and coordination or develop speech and visual skills. Braces or minor surgery may also be used to correct muscle function in the arms or legs. Abnormal movements and seizures can often be controlled with medications and many mechanical aids are available to help with cerebral palsy symptoms.

Various organizations exist to offer support for cerebral palsy patients and raise funds for researching cures. The most notable is the March of Dimes, which holds an annual fundraiser raffle to support many research grants for the effect of oxygen shortages in the brain. Getting involved is easy, just go to their website at www.marchofdimes.com today.