Because CP is a group of disorders with similar problems in control of movement, it has a variety of causes.
Congenital cerebral palsy, results from brain injury during intra-uterine life. It is present at birth, although it may not be detected for months. It is responsible for about 70% of children who have cerebral palsy. An additional 20 % are diagnosed with congenital cerebral palsy due to a brain injury during the birthing process. In most cases, the cause of congenital cerebral palsy is unknown.
Acquired cerebral palsy results from brain damage in the first few months or years of life and can follow brain infections, such as bacterial meningitis or viral encephalitis, or the results of head injury -- most often from a motor vehicle accident, a fall, or child abuse.
In the United States, about 10 percent of children who have CP acquire the disorder after birth. (The figures are higher in underdeveloped countries.)
Risk Factors
Risk factors for CP include the following:
- premature birth
- low birth weight
- inability of the placenta to provide the developing fetus with oxygen and nutrients
- lack of growth factors during intra-uterine life
- RH or A-B-O blood type incompatibility between mother and infant
- infection of the mother with German measles or other viral diseases in early pregnancy
- bacterial infection of the mother, fetus or infant that directly or indirectly attack the infant's central nervous system
- prolonged loss of oxygen during the birthing process and severe jaundice shortly after birth
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