Cerebral palsy is a general title used to define a group of chronic disorders. These “palsies” inhibit a person’s control over their own movement as a result of brain damage. This typically happens as the brain is still developing. Cerebral palsy typically develops and becomes apparent by toddlerhood. This is a nonprogressive disorder, which means that the damage present in the brain does not get worse as the person grows older. Regardless of this, the symptoms associated with the damage have a tendency to change as time progresses. At times, they get better, and others they get worse. It’s one of the more common causes of disabilities in children. Here are some of the five common causes of this disorder.
Number Five: A Mother Experiencing Infection During Pregnancy
An expecting mother having an infection while she is pregnant increases the risk for damage to the child’s unformed nervous system. This could be anything from rubella to cytomegalovirus (similar to the herpes virus) or infections caused by parasites. Unfortunately, many of these types of infections go undetected.
Number Four: Infant Jaundice Can Cause Cerebral Palsy
Jaundice is a sickness that is caused by an overabundance of bilirubin in the bloodstream. The job of the liver is to filter this out. Many times, infants’ livers do not do this effectively right from birth, making jaundice quite common for newborns in the days after birth. In the majority of cases, a specific type of light therapy will clear this up, leaving no detrimental effects. In rare or untreated cases, however, this sickness can cause damage to the brain.
Number Three: Rh Incompatibility
Sometimes, a new mother and her baby share differing Rh types, leading the mother’s body to attempt to destroy the developing fetus’s blood cells. This can lead to a type of jaundice and in serious cases damage to the brain and CP.
Number Two: Traumatic Birth
Some births are physically and metabolically traumatizing for the baby, at times including head trauma. This can lead to damage to the brain of the fetus.
Number One: Oxygen Deprivation
Oxygen deprivation is possible during labor, which can cause cerebral palsy. Thanks for reading.