Cerebral palsy: Cerebral palsy symptoms

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a chronic disorder of posture and movement caused by central nervous system injury. It consists of involuntary movements and contractions (spasms) that can affect the muscle region, half of the body or body completely. A number of conditions such as mental retardation, convulsive seizures or visual and auditory dysfunction are commonly associated with cerebral palsy.

Even if it present since birth, cerebral palsy may become evident only between one and three years of life. This is due to modality of growth and development of children. Doctors or parents may not recognize the irregular movements of the child until your baby grows and they become more evident. These babies and young children can keep newborn reflexes and delay in achieving normal development of their age. Parents and carers are usually first to notice delays in child development that may be early signs of CP.
However, early cerebral palsy symptoms vary depending on the specific type of disease.

Cerebral symptoms that may be observed immediately after birth include:

Difficulty sucking and swallowing;
Poor or sharp crying;
Abnormal position, or the body is very relaxed and soft or too stiff when taken in arms, These abnormal positions are different and more severe than those occurring in children with colic .

Some problems may occur or become more evident with child’s growth. These include:

Muscle atrophy in the affected limbs
Abnormal sensations and perceptions like pain in mild touching. Even everyday activities like brushing your teeth can cause pain. Abnormal sensations may aggravate identify common objects by touch, for example a soft bubble and a rough object;
Skin irritation. Abundant salivation is common when facial muscles are affected. Abundant salivation irritate the skin, especially around the mouth, chin and chest;
Dental diseases. Pain that may occur due to washing increases the risk of developing tooth decay and gingivitis (gum inflammation).
Injuries. There is a risk of fall and other accidents, depending on muscle control, the stiffness, joints and overall muscle tone. Associated seizures may also cause accidental bruises;
Infections and chronic diseases. Cerebral palsy causes severe food difficulties. Adults have an increased risk of heart and lung disease.

Some children with CP show a series of behavioral disorders such as excessive sleepiness, irritability and loss of interest around the world.

Parents may become concerned about their baby or child development if he learns hard to turn from side to side, to sit, to walk or to stand. Parents should always discuss these aspects with the pediatrician.

While most babies do not develop such a preference (become right-handed or left handed) before 12 months, some babies with cerebral palsy develop a preference before six months.
Another important sign of cerebral palsy is the persistence of certain reflexes, called primitive reflexes that are normal in very young children, but usually disappear between 6 and 12 months of life.

Risk of a type of cerebral palsy is higher in premature babies,in those with low birth weight and in twins. Also, the danger is greater if the mother was exposed to toxic chemicals during pregnancy and if she is suffering from certain illnesses (seizures, mental retardation, thyroid problems). Controlling chronic diseases and avoid risk factors can help prevent cerebral palsy symptoms.
Children with congenital may present some cerebral palsy symptoms since birth. But when the disease is not very severe he can not be diagnosed until 4-5 years. Most cases are diagnosed around the age of 1-2 years. To obtain a diagnosis there can be used several types of analysis. Blood tests are used to rule out other possible diseases, and to observe brain activity using computed tomography, electroencephalogram, MRI.