Cerebral Palsy - impact

The condition

Cerebral Palsy is a condition that affects movement, posture and co-ordination caused by the immature brain receiving an injury or not developing properly. Causes can be multiple and complex and sometimes there is no obvious single reason as to the cause of cp.  Possible causes include:

·         The mother or the baby having an infection in early pregnancy

·         Difficult or premature birth

·         Cerebral (brain) bleed or abnormal development of baby’s brain

·         A genetic link (however, this is quite rare)

There are three main types of cp, although most people will have a combination of the different types.

• Spastic cerebral palsy – most common form. The muscles are stiff and have limited range of movements.
• Athetoid or Dyskinetic cerebral palsy – involuntary movements as muscle tone changes from floppy to tense. May also experience difficulty with hearing and speech.
• Ataxic cerebral palsy – balance is difficult with unco-ordinated movements affecting the whole body. May have shaky hands and irregular speech.

In some people, cerebral palsy is barely noticeable. Others will be more severely affected. No two people with cerebral palsy are the same.

Incidence and Prevalence

The widely accepted figure for people with cerebral palsy (cp) in the general population is one in four hundred (1:400) or 2 - 2.5 per thousand live births. This equates to approximately 113,510 people with cp in the UK, based on approximately 1800 children being born with cp each year and a UK projected population (in the 2001 census) of 61,269000. It is generally accepted that cp is the most prevalent physical impairment amongst children. Extreme caution has to be applied to any data on cerebral palsy.

Impact on Health & Social Care Services

Cerebral Palsy cannot be ‘cured’ but early support and therapeutic intervention can help with development and the effects of cp upon the muscles and motor control. Most people with cp will require intervention from a number of professionals throughout life including:

·         Social Services

·         GP

·         Paediatricians and specialist consultants e.g. Orthopaedic Surgeons, Neurologists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapists

·         Respite and Domiciliary Care

·         Specialist Carers