Causes of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy is caused by brain damage, which affected to the developing of brain. Why does your child have brain damage? There are many possible answers to this question, bellow are described of some reasons why the children can sustain brain damage.

Acquired cerebral palsy

Causes of acquired cerebral palsy is results from brain damage that occurs in the first two years of life. The common cases usually the disorder may result from brain infections like bacterial meningitis or viral encephalitis, or from head trauma sustained from an accident, fall, or inflicted injuries.

Congenital cerebral palsy

Causes of congenital cerebral palsy is often results from brain damage during pregnancy or around the time of birth. However, birth complications account for only about 3–13% of congenital cerebral palsy cases.

- Infections during pregnancy. Some of virus such as toxoplasmosis, rubella (German measles), cytomegalovirus, and herpes can infect the developing fetus in a pregnant woman that result a damage to the developing nervous system and causing cerebral palsy. Other potentially damaging infections include cytomegalovirus and toxoplasmosis.

- Jaundice in the infant. Untreated jaundice (hyperbilirubinemia) can cause a neurological condition known as kernicterus, which kills brain cells and can cause deafness and cerebral palsy.

- Brain hemorrhage or bleeding can occur in the fetus during pregnancy or in newborns around the time of birth which result from a medical malpractice. These hemorrhages are a type of stroke that may be caused by broken, abnormal, or clogged blood vessels in or leading to the brain causing neurological problems as caused of cerebral palsy.

- Medical malpractice or physician error (negligence) also may responsible for thousands and thousands of cerebral palsy cases. In which, during labor and/or delivery the medical team may make a mistaken such as excessive use of vacuum extraction, fail to follow the necessary steps to ensure a safe delivery and failure to perform a timely cesarean section may result in damage to the motor centers in the brain.

But it's impossible for a parent to determine if a medical mistake caused their child's cerebral palsy or brain damage. Only through the concerted efforts of a legal/medical team (medical lawyer) that can answer the question.

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Symptom of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is characterized by three major types; Spastic cerebral palsy, Athetotic or Dyskinetic cerebral palsy and Ataxic cerebral palsy. The signs and symptoms of Cerebral Palsy may be mild or subtle or quite obvious, Each type of cerebral palsy typically produces a distinctive set of symptoms, although some children have signs and symptoms of more than one type of cerebral palsy, which may be referred to as a mixed form of the condition.

Symptom of Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Symptom of spastic cerebral palsy is characterized by hyperactive deep tendon reflexes, increased stretch reflexes, rapid alternating muscle contraction and relaxation, muscle weakness, underdevelopment of affected limbs, muscle contraction in response to manipulation, and a tendency to contractures. In the most severe cases, all four limbs and the trunk are affected (spastic quadriplegia).

Typically, symptom of spastic cerebral palsy on the child are walks on his toes with a scissors gait, crossing one foot in front of the other, unable to maintain balance or walk.

Symptom of Athetotic or Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy

About 10 percent to 20 percent of childrens who diagnosed as cerebral palsy type athetotic or dyskinetic, they has symptom such as uncontrolled, writhing movements of the hands, feet, arms, or legs (athetosis). The child also may have abrupt, irregular, jerky movements (chorea), a combination (choreoathetosis), or slow rhythmic movements with muscle tone abnormalities and abnormal postures (dystonia).

Other symptom from this type is involuntary facial movements, causing grimacing and/or drooling. So, When the muscles that control speech are affected, the children experiences dysarthria (abnormal pronunciation of speech). These athetoid movements become more severe during stress, decrease with relaxation, and disappear entirely during sleep.

Symptom of Ataxic cerebral palsy

This type characterized by disturbed balance, incoordination (especially of the arms), hypoactive reflexes, nystagmus, muscle weakness, tremor (also intention tremor), lack of leg movement during infancy, and a wide gait as the child begins to walk. This form affects about 5 percent to 10 percent of cerebral palsy cases.

Children who has cerebral palsy with type ataxic may has symptom such as walk with their feet far apart and may have difficulty doing precise tasks such as picking up an object or slipping a button into a buttonhole (buttoning a shirt, ect).

Some of children with cerebral palsy may have signs and symptoms of more than one type of cerebral palsy from three forms listed above, which may be referred to as a mixed form of the condition.

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Treatment of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a disorder of movement and posture that results from a no progressive abnormality of the immature brain in which until now can not be cured, but treatment can often improve a child's capabilities. Many of cerebral palsy therapy treatments are available to help a child function at the highest level possible, so they can enjoy near-normal lives if their neurological problems are properly managed.

Children diagnosed with cerebral palsy may have movement problems, a therapeutic exercise program by intensive system is important treatment for them to maximize their independence and prevent or treat complications.

Others treatment such as behavioral therapy, counseling, braces, drugs, mechanical aids, music therapy, dance therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, play therapy, speech & language therapy and surgery including specialists such as audiologists, developmental pediatricians, neurologists, nutritionists, occupational therapists, orthopedic surgeons, and speech pathologists are will help the child with cerebral palsy improve their posture and movement.

Treatment for the children who diagnosed cerebral palsy will involve a pediatrician, pediatric neurologist, or pediatric physiatrist which provides primary care for children with cerebral palsy. Treatment of cerebral palsy for adults may involve a family doctor, neurologist, or physiatrist provides primary care for adults with cerebral palsy.

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Cerebral Palsy Lawyer

Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Information. Many cases of Medical errors or Medical malpractice occur in hospitals and other medical institutions all around the country. Every year, Medical malpractice have been associated with child birth, and these errors can often result in one of a range of injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

The Parents who knows that their child suffers from cerebral palsy as a result of birth injury or some other cerebral palsy related to the medical malpractice, better for them to see and get help from lawyer institutions which qualified and experienced with the medical malpractice on cerebral palsy's case.

In this situation, Medical errors, negligence, and malpractice can be very difficult to prove, particularly if the medical authorities have a team of expert lawyers working on their side to try and dispute your claim.

Anyhow, try to get information from a professional lawyer who expert and responsible to help you against the medical errors or medical malpractice that may happened to your child during labor proses in hospital or other medical institution. So, you could receive compensation for the injuries that your child has suffered.

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