Cerebral Palsy Health Article

Definition

Cerebral palsy (CP), or static encephalopathy, is the name for a collection of movement disorders caused by brain damage that occurs before, during, or shortly after birth. A person with CP is often also affected by other conditions caused by brain damage.

Description

The affected muscles of a person with CP may become rigid or excessively loose. The person may lose control of muscles, or have problems with balance and coordination. A combination of these is also possible. Those with CP may be primarily affected in the legs (paraplegia or diplegia), or in the arm and leg of one side of the body (hemiplegia), or all four limbs may be involved (quadriplegia).

A person with CP may also be affected by a number of other problems, including a seizure disorder, visual deficits, hearing problems, mental retardation, learning disabilities, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. None of these is necessarily part of CP, however, they may accompany the disorder.

CP affects approximately 500,000 children and adults in the United States, and is diagnosed in more than 6,000 newborns and young children each year. It is not an inherited disorder, and as of yet there is no way to predict with certainty which children will develop CP. It is not a disease, and is not communicable. CP is a nonprogressive disorder, which means that symptoms neither worsen nor improve over time. However manifestation of the symptoms may become more severe over time. For example, rigidity of muscles can lead to contractures and deformities that require a variety of interventions.