Unfortunately, after pregnancy and childbirth, babies are not always born he althy, 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, the British surgeon John Little was engaged in detailed violations in the skeleton and nervous system during childbirth at the beginning of the 19th century. And in his honor, cerebral palsy is sometimes called "Little's disease." The term "cerebral palsy" was introduced by the Canadian physician Sir Osler in his book of the same name, 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 arethey are trying to find answers about the causes of this pathology, about whether it occurs due to unsuccessful births and whether cerebral palsy can be transmitted from parents, or maybe this disease is a consequence of abnormal intrauterine development?
Reasons
Whether cerebral palsy is inherited, we will tell a little later, but now we will find out the causes of this 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 of the cases of this diagnosis.
There are actually quite a few reasons. Chief 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 a baby's life.
There are various factors under the influence of which cerebral palsy can develop. Quite common is the oxygen starvation of the brain, which is possible due to placental abruption, difficult birth, cord entanglement.
Toxic (smoking, toxins at work or home, alcohol) and physical (X-ray or radiation) effects on the fetus can also play a role. Postpartum performance also has an impact:
- multiple pregnancy;
- preterm birth;
- too little or too much weight;
- chronic maternal illness.
Among scientists, there is an opinion that it is still possible to inherit cerebral palsy. In order to substantiate this hypothesis,many large scale studies. However, 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 can be transmitted. And this at times can increase the chances of developing pathology in a child. You can also answer the question of whether cerebral palsy is inherited from the father.
Research suggests that this is not a genetic disease, so it cannot be transmitted 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 it can be done, the better.
Symptoms
Symptoms of cerebral palsy can be different, depending on age. Basically, violations 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 his head, does not sit down, does not crawl). He uses only one hand, which is noticeable during play, and infantile reflexes that fade at a certain age continue to accompany the actions of the baby (for example, a grasping or stepping reflex).
But most often various signs of cerebral palsyappear in children already at the initial residual stage. These include skeletal deformity, low mobility, general developmental delay, problems with speech and coordination, as well as with gait and swallowing.
Shapes
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 the areas of the brain responsible for motor functions. Mostly this occurs during intrauterine development during oxygen starvation. This type manifests itself in problems with swallowing, speech, attention, the child develops more slowly, vision problems, strabismus appear.
- The most common form is spastic diplegia, most often occurring during preterm labor. 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, study at school on an equal basis with everyone else, keeping up well with their peers.
- The hemiplegic form is characterized by disturbances in the movement of the upper limbs. The cause of its development is a hemorrhage in the brain or a heart attack. It is distinguished from other types of cerebral palsy by such symptoms as the 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 notsuffer.
- The ataxic form can occur with damage to the lobes of the brain and is characterized by mental retardation, trembling of the limbs.
There are also mixed forms that can combine the symptoms of several forms.
Features
Specialists say that cerebral palsy develops only during pregnancy and childbirth. Common symptoms of pathology include various disorders of motor functions and coordination. Depending on the damage to the structures of the brain, the form and nature of muscle disorders may change, including muscle tension and contractions, limited mobility. Deviations in mental and mental development are also often manifested.
At the same time, cerebral palsy does not progress, because damage to certain lobes 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, drug treatment usually includes anticonvulsant and relaxing drugs. The child is often prescribed additional procedures in the form of massage, physiotherapy exercises, speech therapy classes.
If you do not treat cerebral palsy in time, then an orthopedic problem may develop, which will also have to be treated later.
Infantile cerebral palsy is a serious diagnosis, but you can live with it. And live fully, getting everything you want and achieving your cherished goals. Knowing if cerebral palsy is transmitted byinheritance and what forms and methods of treatment of this disease exist, you will be able to build a plan to combat the described disease and not succumb to it.
