Origins of cerebral palsy
R. L. Naeye, E. C. Peters, M. Bartholomew and J. R. Landis
Department of Pathology, M. S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey 17033.
Analyses were undertaken to determine the causes of cerebral palsy in a
prospective study of 43,437 full-term children. Presumed causes were found
for about 71% of the 34 quadriplegic and 40% of the 116 nonquadriplegic
patients with cerebral palsy. Risk estimates based on predictive models,
adjusted for multiple factors, suggest that 53% of the quadriplegic
patients with cerebral palsy could be attributed to congenital disorders,
14% to birth asphyxia, and 8% to other identified disorders. Thirty-five
percent of the nonquadriplegic patients with cerebral palsy could be
attributed to congenital disorders and 6% to other disorders. In the
victims of cerebral palsy, characteristic consequences of birth asphyxia
were more often the result of nonasphyxial disorders. These included
meconium in the amniotic fluid, low 10-minute Apgar scores, neonatal apnea
spells, seizures, persisting neurologic abnormalities, and slow head growth
after birth.
