What are the Risk Factors?

Cerebral Palsy

Certain characteristics, called risk factors, increase the possibility that a child will be diagnosed with cerebral palsy:

Breech presentation - Babies with cerebral palsy are more likely to present feet-first instead of head-first at the beginning of labor.

Mismanaged labor and delivery - Various vascular or respiratory problems of the baby during labor and delivery usually indicate fetal stress, or distress, mandating emergency caesarian section delivery to avoid cognitive and/or physical injury to the baby.

Low Apgar score - The Apgar score (named for anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar) is a numbered rating that reflects a newborn's condition. To determine an Apgar score, doctors periodically check the baby's heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, reflexes and skin color in the first minutes after birth. They then assign points; the higher the score, the more normal the baby's condition. A low score at 10-20 minutes after delivery is often considered an important sign of potential problems.

Low birth weight and premature birth - The risk of cerebral palsy is higher among babies who weigh less than 2500 grams (5 lbs., 7 1/2 oz.) at birth and among babies who are born less than 37 weeks into pregnancy. This risk increases as birth weight falls.

Multiple births - Twins, triplets and other multiple births are linked to an increased risk of cerebral palsy.

Maternal bleeding or severe proteinuria late in pregnancy - Vaginal bleeding during the sixth to ninth months of pregnancy and severe proteinuria (the presence of excess proteins in the urine) are linked to a higher risk of having a baby with cerebral palsy.

Maternal hyperthyroidism, mental retardation or seizures - Mothers with any of these conditions are slightly more likely to have a child with cerebral palsy.

Seizures in the newborn - An infant who has seizures faces a higher risk of being diagnosed with cerebral palsy later in childhood.

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