It used to be thought that the majority of CP cases were due to difficulties during the birth process. It is now recognised that this is not the case
and only a small percentage of CP cases are attrbutable to complications during childbirth. There is unlikely to be one definitive cause for CP but
listed below are the ones that we know about:
- infection in the early part of pregnancy.The BMJ has published an
Australian study
on the association between cerebral palsy and viral infections in early pregnancy;
- prematurity. Premature babies are more at risk than others of developing conditions that can lead to cerebral palsy. One such is intracranial haemorrage
or bleeding in the brain which can cause CP if the bleeding is severe enough, another is periventricular leukomalacia whereby holes form in the white
matter of the infant's brain;
- a serious head injury frequently as a result of the child being severely shaken by a frustrated parent or caregiver;
- developing a serious infection that can affect the brain, such as meningitis
- accidents of brain development;
- genetic disorders;
- stroke, due to abnormal blood vessels or blood clots.
In many cases of CP, the cause is not known.
