According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 85% to 95% of cerebral palsy cases are congenital, meaning the brain damage happened before or during birth.
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Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders caused by a brain injury that can interfere with movement and balance. The brain damage can result from improper development or physical injury to the brain before, during, or after childbirth. In many cases, the brain injury is caused by a medical error.
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Cerebral palsy is a term that refers to a group of neurological disorders. People with cerebral palsy usually have problems with their motor skills. Some also have epilepsy, developmental disabilities, or intellectual disabilities.
There are four main types of cerebral palsy: spastic cerebral palsy, dyskinetic cerebral palsy, ataxic cerebral palsy, and mixed cerebral palsy. The type of cerebral palsy depends on the location of the brain damage.
Two types of brain damage can cause cerebral palsy:
A child usually develops cerebral palsy before or while being born, but that is not always the case. For example, a head injury from a car accident could cause cerebral palsy in a young child.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 85% to 95% of cerebral palsy cases are congenital, meaning the brain damage happened before or during birth.
Premature birth is the most common cause of cerebral palsy in the United States.
In some cases, the exact cause of a child’s cerebral palsy is unknown.
After a cerebral palsy diagnosis, parents may feel overwhelmed caring for their child. It may not be until months later that they start wondering what caused their child’s birth injury.
Typically, doctors use certain screenings to look for signs of cerebral palsy and make a diagnosis. They also use special tests to look for cerebral palsy causes. For example, brain imaging tests such as computed tomography (CT scan) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can show damaged areas of the brain.
Doctors usually diagnose cerebral palsy in the first or second year after birth. However, when a child’s symptoms of cerebral palsy and developmental delays are mild, the diagnosis could come later.
Doctors in a branch of medicine known as pediatrics often work with specialists to make a diagnosis.
Caregivers who are worried that a child might have cerebral palsy because they have not hit certain developmental milestones should contact a pediatrician.
Signs of cerebral palsy include:
If a medical error caused your child’s cerebral palsy, you could be entitled to compensation. Let our team at LawFirm.com put you in touch with a top birth injury law firm for a free case review.
According to the CDC, cerebral palsy occurs in about 1 to 4 out of 1,000 live births.
Some risk factors that make it more likely that an infant will be born with cerebral palsy include:
Children born before the 32nd week of pregnancy are especially at risk.
Twins, triplets, and other multiple births also have an increased risk. So do children born from pregnancies involving infertility treatments.
Somewhere between 5% and 10% of cerebral palsy cases are caused by complicated labor and delivery.
Detachment of the placenta, uterine rupture, or umbilical cord problems can interfere with an infant’s oxygen supply and lead to cerebral palsy.
Infections to the mother and illnesses in a newborn can increase the risk of cerebral palsy.
Certain infections and even toxic exposures during pregnancy make it more likely that an infant will be born with cerebral palsy. An infection can cause inflammation and damage the unborn child’s developing brain.
These infections and exposures can cause cerebral palsy and other birth defects in newborns:
Thyroid problems, preeclampsia (a condition marked by high blood pressure), and seizures can also boost the risk of cerebral palsy in babies.
A cerebral palsy law firm can help determine if medical malpractice played a role in your child’s cerebral palsy. Contact us today for a free consultation with a top firm.
Obstetricians typically order a blood test known as a TORCH screen to look for infections that can harm an unborn baby during pregnancy. The screen tests for:
In most cases, doctors order a TORCH test at the first prenatal visit. Medical professionals can also perform the test on newborns.
While not all of these infections are treatable, some are. Early diagnosis and medical care are the keys to stopping a treatable condition from spreading to an unborn baby.
Doctors should screen patients for conditions that place them and their babies at risk. This includes maternal infections, preeclampsia, and diabetes.
A doctor who fails to do so could be liable for medical malpractice.
Infants are more likely to develop cerebral palsy when they have these conditions:
A difference in the blood type between mother and baby can also cause jaundice and kernicterus.
Many birth injury law firms have on-staff nurses who will listen to your story and help you understand what may have happened to cause your child’s cerebral palsy. If your child’s condition seems like it was preventable, the nurse will connect you with a cerebral palsy law firm for a free case review.
Sadly, errors made by trusted obstetricians and other medical professionals often cause cerebral palsy in children.
Some examples of medical errors that can cause a brain injury and cerebral palsy include:
When a physician does not take proper medical action during a difficult labor and delivery, the newborn may experience a lack of oxygen. Oxygen deprivation, also known as asphyxia, can cause brain damage and lead to cerebral palsy. However, asphyxia is not as common a cause of cerebral palsy as once thought.
Medical malpractice includes actions that a physician takes while caring for a patient and inactions such as failure to diagnose or treat.
Parents may be entitled to financial compensation when medical malpractice causes or contributes to a child’s cerebral palsy. A cerebral palsy lawsuit can recover the money they need to pay for medical treatment, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.
After a child is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, it is common for parents to be overwhelmed with caring for a child with a brain injury. It may not be until much later that they start to wonder whether their child’s cerebral palsy was preventable.
Many times, the brain damage that causes cerebral palsy is preventable. This is the case when it is caused by medical malpractice or negligence.
In other cases, cerebral palsy cannot be prevented.
However, there are steps women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant can take to reduce the risk of complications:
If you suspect that a preventable medical mistake caused your child’s cerebral palsy, our team at LawFirm.com can help connect you with a top cerebral palsy lawyer. To start the process, call (888) 726-9160.
There are different reasons why children develop cerebral palsy. One leading cause is brain damage from insufficient oxygen before, during, or soon after birth. Prematurity is another common cause.
There are other factors related to the mother and baby. For example, when the mother has a virus such as cytomegalovirus, chickenpox, or rubella, the infection can cause inflammation and harm the baby’s developing brain.
Infants with bacterial meningitis and untreated jaundice are more likely to develop cerebral palsy.
Yes, sometimes cerebral palsy is caused by a birth injury. While many birth injuries are minor and need no treatment, others, like cerebral palsy, can be more serious.
And while some birth injuries occur naturally, medical errors are to blame for others. Preventable birth injuries are often considered medical malpractice or negligence.
When a baby has a stroke inside the womb or soon after birth, they can have bleeding in the brain that leads to brain damage and cerebral palsy.
People have strokes when blood vessels in the brain are blocked or broken. A perinatal stroke is a stroke in a fetus or newborn. It is one of the most common causes of cerebral palsy.
Diagnostic tests that take pictures of the brain can show this condition. Parents may not know that their child has had a stroke until the child is 6 months old or much later. This is often the case when the child does not have obvious symptoms like seizures or breathing problems.
Birth trauma can cause perinatal strokes.
In some cases, a lack of oxygen before, during, or right after birth can cause cerebral palsy and other birth injuries. A lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain — a condition known as birth asphyxia — can have catastrophic consequences for newborns and their families.
The amount of damage usually depends on how long the baby has been without oxygen and how quickly a doctor or other medical professional gives the proper treatment. While some children recover fully, others, including those with cerebral palsy, may have permanent health problems.
Birth asphyxia can result from a long or difficult labor, a maternal infection, or problems with the placenta or umbilical cord.
Written by: LawFirm.com
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