Question
The baby hasn’t learned to walk yet and falls over after a few steps. Speech is slow and unclear. Responses are slower, and they often dribble saliva. They always hang their head, looking less alert. After a hospital check-up, the doctor said it was pediatric cerebral palsy and treatment was needed. What causes pediatric cerebral palsy?
Answer
The causes of pediatric cerebral palsy generally include the following three factors: 1. Prenatal Factors (1) Maternal factors: According to an analysis by an American research group, maternal intellectual impairment is the main risk factor for cerebral palsy, accounting for 2.7‰ of all cases. The second risk factor is maternal delivery difficulties. Although smoking does not have a direct relationship with offspring cerebral palsy, the risk of giving birth to low birth weight infants is doubled for smokers compared to nonsmokers. Maternal epilepsy, pre-pregnancy hyperthyroidism, or having two or more stillbirths are significantly associated with cerebral palsy. Interestingly, maternal diabetes is not related to cerebral palsy. Additionally, pre-pregnancy abdominal and pelvic X-rays, coagulation disorders, nephritis, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, syphilis, smooth muscle disease, asthma, organic heart disease, and rheumatism are not related to cerebral palsy.