Unfortunately, after pregnancy and childbirth, children do not always come into the world healthy, and sometimes a pathology that does not make itself felt at birth develops in the first years of life. And one of the most common diseases is cerebral palsy. What is it, is cerebral palsy inherited and how to help a child with this disease?
History
For the first time in detail, disorders in the skeleton and nervous system during childbirth took up the British surgeon John Little in the early 19th century. And in his honor, cerebral palsy is sometimes called Little's disease. The term "cerebral palsy" was coined by the Canadian physician Sir Osler in his book The cerebral palsies of children. Thus, cerebral palsy has been studied for several centuries, and scientists continue to improve their knowledge in this area. They are trying to find answers about the causes of this pathology, about whether it occurs due to unsuccessful childbirth and whether it is possible to transmit cerebral palsy from parents, or maybe this disease is a consequence of improper intrauterine development?
Causes
Whether cerebral palsy is inherited, we will tell a little later, and now we will find out the causes of the named pathology. The prevalence of cerebral palsy is approximately 2 per 1000 newborns. A serious factor in the development of pathology can be prematurity, which occurs in half the cases of this diagnosis.
The reasons are actually quite a lot. The main among them is damage to certain areas of the brain during development. This can happen both during pregnancy and childbirth, and in the first years of the baby's life.
There are various factors under the influence of which cerebral palsy can develop. Quite common is oxygen starvation of the brain, which is possible due to detachment of the placenta, difficult birth, entanglement of the umbilical cord.
Toxic (smoking, toxins at work or at home, alcohol) and physical (x-ray or radiation) effects on the fetus can also play a role. Influence and postpartum indicators:
- multiple pregnancy;
- premature birth;
- too little or too much weight;
- chronic diseases of the mother.
Among scientists, there is an opinion that inheritance of cerebral palsy is still possible. In order to substantiate this hypothesis, many large-scale studies are being conducted. True, their results are quite controversial. So, to the question of whether cerebral palsy is inherited from the mother, scientists answer that only a certain predisposition to cerebral palsy is possible. And this at times can increase the chances of developing a pathology in a child. You can also answer the question of whether cerebral palsy is inherited from the father.
Studies suggest that this is not a genetic disease, so it is impossible to transmit it specifically. But if, for example, one of the parents had cerebral palsy, then the child will have a predisposition to its development. But knowing the answer to the question of whether cerebral palsy is inherited, one should not forget about the mass of other factors. Identifying the true cause of cerebral palsy is not easy, but the sooner you can do it, the better.
Symptoms
Symptoms of cerebral palsy can be different, depending on age. Basically, the disorders are associated with the musculoskeletal system, so there is a division into three stages:
- early (up to 5 months);
- initial residual (from 6 months to 3 years);
- late residual (over 3 years).
The first symptoms that can be observed at an early stage are a delay in physical development (the child does not hold the head, does not sit down, does not crawl). He uses only one hand, which is noticeable during games, and infantile reflexes, fading at a certain age, continue to accompany the actions of the baby (for example, grasping or walking reflex).
But most often, various signs of cerebral palsy appear in children already at the initial residual stage. These include skeletal deformation, low mobility, a delay in overall development, problems with speech and coordination, as well as with gait and swallowing.
Forms
As mentioned above, the development of cerebral palsy is divided into three age stages. But there is another classification that separates cerebral palsy according to the form of violation:
- One of the most difficult forms among them is spastic tetraplegia, characterized by damage to parts of the brain responsible for motor functions. Mostly this occurs during fetal development with oxygen starvation. This type manifests itself in problems with swallowing, speech, attention, the child develops more slowly, problems with vision, strabismus appear.
- The most common form is considered spastic diplegia, most often occurring during premature birth. It is accompanied by damage to the lower extremities, problems with speech, developmental delay. But often children with this form of cerebral palsy have good mental abilities, go to school on an equal basis with everyone, doing well behind their peers.
- The hemiplegic form is characterized by disturbances in the movement of the upper limbs. The reason for its development is a hemorrhage in the brain or heart attack. It is distinguished from other types of cerebral palsy by symptoms such as slowness of the child and frequent epileptic seizures.
- The dyskinetic form is considered the easiest, since problems arise only with the musculoskeletal system, and mental abilities do not suffer.
- The ataxic form can occur with damage to the lobes of the brain and is characterized by mental retardation, trembling limbs.
There are mixed forms that can combine the symptoms of several forms.
Features
Experts say that cerebral palsy develops only during pregnancy and childbirth. Common symptoms of pathology include various impaired motor functions and coordination. Depending on the damage to the structures of the brain, the shape and nature of muscle disorders can change, including tension and muscle contractions, limited mobility. Deviations in mental and mental development are also often manifested.
In this case, cerebral palsy does not progress, because damage to certain parts of the brain is point-like and does not spread.
Treatment
Unfortunately, this disease is incurable. All actions are aimed at reducing the manifestation of various symptoms. So, medication usually includes anticonvulsant and relaxing drugs. The child is often prescribed additional procedures in the form of massage, physiotherapy exercises, speech therapy sessions.
If you do not deal with the treatment of cerebral palsy in time, then an orthopedic problem may develop, which will also have to be treated later.
Cerebral palsy is a serious diagnosis, but you can live with it. And live a full life, getting everything you want and achieving your cherished goals. Knowing whether cerebral palsy is inherited and what forms and methods of treatment for this disease exist, you will be able to build a plan to combat the described disease and not succumb to it.