Definition
Spastic cerebral palsy is a paresis, i.e. muscle relaxation caused by damage to the brain (hence the “cerebral”). Spastic cerebral palsy is also often referred to as “infantile cerebral palsy“. In most cases, the brain damage is already detected in the newborn baby. It manifests itself through various disorders of the skeletal muscles of the extremities, i.e. the muscles required for active movements. These include muscle weakness and problems with standing and walking.
Causes
In about half of all spastic cerebral palsy cases, these can be attributed to a clear cause by a disturbance in brain development before or during birth. In most cases, there is a lack of oxygen, which the nerve cells in the brain need to survive. Due to this lack, the nerve cells die and certain areas of the brain fail.
Among the possible causes are infections. Particularly common during pregnancy are the infectious diseases toxoplasmosis, rubella and cytomegaly caused by the CMV virus. Another possible cause is bleeding in the brain, which can be caused by damage to the head during birth.
Furthermore, certain drugs or alcohol can damage the child’s brain during pregnancy and lead to spastic cerebral palsy. If the placenta does not develop properly, the child’s brain is also not supplied with sufficient oxygen during pregnancy and can be damaged. Hereditary spastic cerebral palsy is extremely rare.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of spastic cerebral palsy is largely based on the medical history, i.e. the doctor’s consultation with the parents of the affected baby. During this interview, specific questions are asked about the symptoms that have occurred. In order to find the cause of spastic cerebral palsy, an examination of the blood and urine as well as the cerebral fluid should always be performed via lumbar puncture. To be sure that there is damage to the brain, an MRI image of the head is also taken.
Associated symptoms
The symptoms of spastic cerebral palsy unfortunately delay and restrict the development of newborns. In spastic cerebral palsy, many different symptoms of the muscles occur, which become particularly obvious during movements. This leads to so-called spastic paralysis, i.e. a rigidity of certain muscles, which makes it difficult or impossible to move them.
Furthermore, ataxia occurs, i.e. a disorder of movements. This is particularly apparent when standing and walking. The affected person has problems to execute movements correctly due to the difficult control of the musculature.
In addition, numerous other symptoms can occur. Approximately half of all those affected also suffer from epileptic seizures and have a reduced or slowed development of intelligence. In some cases, there are disturbances in behavior, speaking or hearing.
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