Birth Injuries: Cerebral Palsy Causes
Cerebral palsy can be, in a minority of cases, caused by problems which occured during labour and childbirth. However, it is most commonly caused by damage to the baby's brain which occured whist in the womb. The most common factors causing CP are brain malformations, genetic problems and maternal infection from infections such as rubella and toxoplasmosis.
These days, with improved maternity care, CP is not so often caused by birth trauma. However, with the rising numbers of babies surviving premature birth and a low birth weight the number of sufferers has not dropped significantly. In fact, babies born early or with a low birth weight may have a fifty-fold chance of suffering from CP.
Other causes of cerebral palsy include infections such as encephalitis and meningitis which can lead to cerebral palsy if the child contracts them at a young age.
In some instances however, it is simply not possible to pinpoint the exact cause of CP.
Related Cerebral Palsy Articles
Further Information about CP
Further information about cerebral palsy can be obtained from Scope.
