posted by Admin on Feb 1
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a blanket term that defines motor skill ability deficiencies which result in various physical disabilities. These bodily movement defects are not contagious and are not progressive in nature.
The word cerebral is a reference to the part of the brain known as the cerebrum – which is the affected region, in the case of cerebral palsy. The word palsy refers to a movement malfunction. The disability is caused by damage sustained by the area of the developing brain that controls motor functions and usually occurs in the fetal stage, during pregnancy (around 75%). CP can also occur during childbirth (around 5%) and up to age 3 years (around 15%).
CP disorders are characterized by impaired movements and can also involve permanent disturbances involving perception, communication, epilepsy, sensation and cognition. These conditions, that limit activity, are directly connected to the non-progressive injury sustained in the cerebrum.
At this time, there is no known cure for any manifestation of CP. Medical assistance is mostly limited to addressing the complications that can arise from CP.
Studies have indicated that has been a slight rise in incidents of cerebral palsy in recent years. This can be attributed to the fact that modern medicine has increased the chances of survival for babies born at very low birth weights. Unfortunately, these low birth weight infants are more likely to have acquired cerebral palsy.
While, in certain instances, no direct cause for CP can be identified, other cases can be related to problems that occur in the intrauterine development phase. This may be initiated by radiation exposure, lack of oxygen prior to birth, infection. Other causes can relate to a trauma that occurs during labor or delivery. Cerebral palsy is also more common in deliveries involving more than one child.
There have also been studies that indicate CP may be caused by the presence of a dead twin that was sharing the same placenta. In a case such as this, the live infant was sharing the same oxygen and blood supply of the twin that died early on in the pregnancy. Although not all twins share the same blood supply, there is a link between those that do and the percentage of CP occurrences. Cases in which a small dead fetus is found attached to the placenta of a live birth are more common than many people realize.
Please note that this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice.
Illnesses falling under the category of cerebral palsy can have many causes. Bloom Legal, in New Orleans, Louisiana may be able to shed more light on this situation, You can find out more by clicking here.