Cerebral palsy: Symptoms, Cause and Treatment

What is Cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorders which occurred because of damage to the brain before or at the time of birth and in early few months after the birth and this damage occurs to the brain due to lack of oxygen. It can cause to paralysis and speech difficulties. It may be result of brain hemorrhage.

Types of Cerebral palsy

1. Spastic cerebral palsy
2. Athetoid cerebral palsy
3. Ataxic cerebral palsy

Causes of Cerebral palsy

No body knows the certain cause of cerebral palcy.But the common cause of this disease is brain damage which can occur during or after the birth and it can also occur in the first few month of birth of baby. Some causes seen in the first six month of baby and these causes includes hereditary condition and difficult in the blood supply to the brain. There are various other cause of cerebral palsy which increases with brain has developed.

There are some known causes of Cerebral palsy which contain following-

• Due to the infection during the pregnancy to the mother and this infection can be because of rubella, mild viral infection and mild parastic infection.
• Due to inadequate oxygen supply to the fetus can cause to the brain damage and which is cause to the cerebral palsy.
• Cerebral palsy may develop in the premature baby because of prematurity.
• Severe jaundice can also cause to the permanent brain damage which is called athetoid cerebral palsy.
• Some babies can have this disease in the two year of their life because of brain injury and brain infection.
• Insufficient supply of blood between fetus and mother can cause to this disease and brain malformation is also responsible for this disease.

Symptoms of Cerebral palsy

• Paralyses
• Speech problem
• Visual and hearing problem
• Motormental and mental retardation
• Peg teeth
• Delayed in the development of motor skills
• Unbalanced breathing
• Difficulty sucking or feeding
• Seizures
• Spasticity

Treatment of Cerebral palsy

The perfect treatment of cerebral palsy have not found yet because repair of brain damage is not so easy but there are some treatment which have been very helpful in the treatment of cerebral palsy. The treatment of cerebral palsy is depends upon the symptoms of this disease according to the symptoms it is treated and treatment includes Physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, these therapies are used to improve communication skills and other things which cause symptoms like spasticity, paralyses etc.

For severe cases institutionalization is useful treatment. Braces, appropriate glasses and hearing aids, medications and orthopedic intervention are very essential treatment for cerebral palsy.

Medicine like muscle relaxants is useful to treat tremors and spasticity and anticonvulsants is helpful to reduce regular Seizures

Surgery may require to remove problem of joint contractures and problem related with spasticity. Surgery is also require to replace the feeding tubes and to manage gastroesophageal reflux. To avoid surgery botulinum toxin injections is useful.

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