An Overview on the Causes of Cerebral Palsy

It is quite hard to tell parents what causes cerebral palsy in children. This is because identifying the cause of the injury to the brain, and how the injury could be averted is hard . What is known is that the injury occurs prior to, during or just after childbirth. In order to get a better understanding of how the injury could have occurred, it is essential that you know of the causes of cerebral palsy.

Unlike diseases like chicken pox, mumps or measles cerebral palsy does not stem from a single origin. Cerebral palsy is a condition that is a mix of different disorders which are generally related, and the root cause of each of these disorders is different . For a doctor to diagnose the condition the child needs to be looked at individually, risk factors have to be looked at, the symptoms have to be studied, and the child's and mother's medical history has to be delved into

While brain injuries after childbirth is one of the causes of cerebral palsy, only around 10% - 20% of all cases occur due to this reason. Most of the cases, about 70-80%, occur during pregnancy or the process of giving birth. The cause that is most commonly attributed to this condition is infection. When you hear someone saying that a child is born with the condition it means that the injury which resulted in the condition occurred while the baby was still in the womb, and that it could have been averted

When talking about cases occurring during pregnancy, it usually refers to while the babies brain are just beginning to develop, or in the process of birthing where the baby travels through the birth canal. Less oxygen supply to the brain was considered to be the main reason for cases of cerebral palsy till not so long ago. Statistical data has shown that as little as 10 percent of all cerebral palsy cases start in childbirth. {The honest truth is that there are probably many cases that are caused by a combination of prenatal, perinatal and postnatal factors| The truth being that there are a number of cases which are caused to due postnatal, perinatal, and prenatal, factors combined| The fact of the matter is that there are scores of instances where the condition is caused to a combination of factors involving pre, peri, and postnatal conditions| However, the fact is that a number of cases occur due to factors which combine postnatal, perinatal, as well as prenatal aspects|.

The following risk factors should be looked into to minimize the chances of a bay getting cerebral palsy during pregnancy. Risk increases when the mother suffers from thyroid problems, infections, or other medical ailments. Defects in the baby after childbirth pertaining to the lungs, head, spinal cord, and metabolism also ups the risk of getting cerebral palsy. Also, in cases where the mother's and child's Rh factor are incompatible, and where these instances go undetected and untreated, there is a possibility of the child suffering from damage to the brain.

Further causes of cerebral palsy comprise of premature births, particular hereditary conditions, acute jaundice post birth, complications in labor/delivery, low body weight of the baby after delivery, in cases of twins/triplets, as well as inadequate oxygen supply for long periods during, before, or after childbirth.

If you believe that your child has cerebral palsy due to complications that could've been avoided there are attorneys that you can turn to that will help you get compensation so that you can care for your baby.

If you found this article useful, you can go here to go more information on the causes of cerebral palsy are. If your child was a victim of cerebral palsy due to medical malpractice, you may have legal options at your disposal.