6 October marks the global movement which highlights cerebral palsy (CP). In South Africa, it is estimated that for every 1 000 babies that are born in a specific year, about 10 babies will have CP. World Cerebral Palsy Day celebrates the achievements of individuals who live with CP. It is a developmental disability that affects children’s capacity to control their movements and posture. Children with CP have weak muscles during their first few months of life and later these muscles stiffen. They can also have repetitive movement, shakiness, and problems with balance.
According to Dr Thembi Katangwe, a paediatric neurologist at Tygerberg Hospital and Stellenbosch University: ‘CP occurs when there is injury to the developing brain either during pregnancy, during birth or during the first few years of life, especially less than two years. This injury causes problems with brain development in parts that are responsible for muscle movement in different parts of the body.’
Some examples that may result in CP:
Types of Cerebral Palsy
There are different types of CP. Most children with CP usually have a combination of two or more types:
‘Detecting early signs of CP in a child that has had brain injury is very important. Studies have shown that children that have been diagnosed with CP before the age of one year, have a better prognosis than those that are identified later. This is because the children who have been diagnosed early have the benefit of starting therapy early. As a result, these children may not have severe CP compared to children that have started their therapy later. CP can be confirmed from as early as 6 months. It is therefore essential that children with suspected CP are assessed early so that they can start their therapy promptly,’ said Dr Katangwe.
Symptoms of CP in babies (3 to 6 months) include:
Symptoms of CP in babies (more than 6 months) include:
‘When a baby has any of these features, it is important to take them to your nearest clinic so that he or she may be assessed,’ Dr Katangwe concluded.
What are Cerebral Palsy Registries?
Cerebral Palsy (CP) registries are computerised databases that contain information regarding persons with CP in a particular area. These databases have sets of common data elements. The information in the database can be analysed and be used to motivate for interventions that improve the livelihood of persons with CP within that area. Participation of many centres would result in a very large database to study. CP registries were first introduced in high-income countries (HIC) to monitor the prevalence of CP. Today, these registries have an important role in studying the causes of CP, evaluating the best therapeutic interventions, assessing patients' quality of life, and driving the organisation of healthcare services for children and adults with CP. The most imminent issues that we would like the initial hospital-based CP registry in the Western Cape to address, is the current scanty prevalence data for CP in South Africa, and inform better health services for children with CP and their families in South Africa, a setting with unique challenges.