Cerebral palsy is a disorder that strikes children in the first few years of life. The birth of a baby begins when one cell divides, becoming two. This cell division continues, two becoming four and four becoming eight until there are thousands, then millions, then billions of cells. Some of these cells become brain cells. It is the abnormal development of these brain cells that in some circumstances causes the condition known as cerebral palsy.
History
In the 1860s, an English surgeon named William Little began writing medical descriptions of a disorder that struck children early in life. He described symptoms such as stiff leg and arm muscles that made spastic movements. These children found difficulty in crawling, walking and grasping objects. The disorder was known as Little's disease for many years. It is now known as a disorder that falls under the umbrella group called cerebral palsy.
Description
Cerebral palsy is a term used to describe a group of disorders that affect the cerebral cortex portion of the brain, which is the portion used for muscle movement. The cerebral portion of the term cerebral palsy refers to the fact that it's a brain disorder, while the palsy portion refers to impairment or loss of motor function. One distinctive feature of cerebral palsy is that once it occurs, it does not progress. That is, the disorder does not get worse with the passing of time.
Occurrence
There are approximately 800,000 adults and children in the United States living with symptoms of cerebral palsy. This is a number put forth by the United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) Foundation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are about 10,000 babies born in the United States each year that will develop cerebral palsy. In another study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for children who are 17 years of age or younger in 1988, 23 of every 10,000 children had cerebral palsy.
Early Signs
Parents are usually the first people to notice the early signs of cerebral palsy. These signs are infants not reaching baby milestones at typical ages of development. For example, babies should develop the ability to crawl and walk by the time they're toddlers, and if they don't, this could be an early sign of cerebral palsy. Children with cerebral palsy can also have unusual postures and be abnormally rigid or relaxed bodies.
Causes
Most children who have cerebral palsy were born with it. That is, it is a congenital disorder. These can be the result of genetic influences, maternal infections and fetal injuries. In each case, the disorder is the direct result of brain damage. The same is true for the smaller portion of children who develop the disorder after birth. These can be usually be attributed to brain infections or head injuries.
