Serious Complications Of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a disorder that affects an individual's posture, muscle tone, and movement. Most cases of cerebral palsy are caused by damage done to the brain before birth. Cerebral palsy symptoms typically appear during infancy or toddler years. Rigidity or floppiness of the trunk and limbs, involuntary movements, abnormal reflexes, unsteady walking, abnormal posture, or any combination of these symptoms can occur in individuals affected by cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy can be a systemic disorder, or it may only affect one side or limb in the body. While certain symptoms may become more apparent with age, the underlying cause of cerebral palsy is not progressive. A physical examination, MRI, cranial ultrasound, electroencephalogram, and blood tests may be used to diagnose cerebral palsy.

Numerous complications can occur with cerebral palsy. Reveal what these are now.

Malnutrition

Cerebral palsy patients may experience malnutrition, a condition where an individual does not receive the proper amount of nutrition. One of the leading causes of malnutrition in individuals with cerebral palsy is called dysphagia or oral-motor dysfunction. A healthy individual has muscles coordinated to transfer food from their mouth to their esophagus, and down into their stomach. Individuals who have cerebral palsy can experience dysfunction in these muscles, which can cause them to have difficulty with breathing, talking, and swallowing. Other factors can also play into the development of malnutrition in cerebral palsy. It may be harder for an individual to consume adequate nutrition and calories when they are unable to hold their utensils and physically feed themselves. Another aspect that complicates the sufficient consumption of food in cerebral palsy patients is gastrointestinal issues. Acid reflux, stomach ulcers, and heartburn are common and make eating uncomfortable or painful.

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Premature Aging

Premature aging may be seen in individuals affected by cerebral palsy as they approach their fourth decade of life. This is a condition where signs of aging emerge in an individual before they actually reach old age. The bodies of cerebral palsy patients go through excess stress and strain to complete day to day activities and tasks. Cerebral palsy patients are known to burn up to five times as much energy as a healthy person does when they simply walk and move around. Premature aging in individuals with cerebral palsy can be confusing because some see it as a worsening of the disorder. However, premature aging due to a condition is different from the progressive worsening of a condition. Premature aging is simply the result of the toll the patient's disability has taken on their body and mind over many years. Symptoms of premature aging in individuals with cerebral palsy include an increase in overall pain, frequent falls, increased susceptibility to adverse side effects of surgery and medication, stiff muscles, difficulty walking, and dental health issues.

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Contracture

Cerebral palsy patients may develop contracture, a deformity that occurs when the connective tissues of an individual's body constrict and become stiff. Tissues that can be affected by contracture include joint capsules, ligaments, muscles, tendons, and skin. Contracture can manifest as difficulty stretching the legs, moving the hands, and straightening the fingers. There are several ways cerebral palsy can cause patients to have contractures. The muscle of individuals who have cerebral palsy is structurally altered with fibers that have a small diameter, reduced muscle body size, and overly stretched sarcomeres. In addition, the muscle tissue of affected individuals has an abnormal arrangement of connective tissue and an altered extracellular matrix. Most of these abnormalities in muscle tissues that cause contracture are caused by altered gene expression and a deficiency of muscle stem cells.

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Osteoarthritis

An individual with cerebral palsy may develop osteoarthritis due to their disorder. Osteoarthritis is a condition where the cartilage in a joint that protects the bones becomes eroded over time, causing stiffness and pain in the affected joint. An individual with cerebral palsy is at an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis because of the abnormalities in the musculoskeletal system the disorder causes. Muscle imbalance is a common characteristic seen in individuals who have cerebral palsy and can cause the abnormal and unusual movement of one or more joints in the body. A combination of the overuse of joints, compression in joints, unusual movements in the joints, and excessive wear on the cartilage in the joints are what cause a cerebral palsy patient to develop osteoarthritis. Symptoms in individuals with cerebral palsy precipitated osteoarthritis include pain with joint movement, joint tenderness, grating feeling in the joint upon movement, joint stiffness, inability to move the joint through its full range, and hard lumps that can be felt around the affected joint.

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Heart And Lung Disease

An individual who has cerebral palsy is more likely to develop heart and lung disease alongside their disorder. The most common forms of heart and lung disease seen in cerebral palsy patients include ischemic heart disease, heart failure, asthma, stroke, and hypertensive heart disease. Patients who experience oral motor dysfunction because of their cerebral palsy are at an increased risk of developing lung disease due to bronchiolitis, aspiration, pneumonia, and respiratory distress syndrome. Cerebral palsy can cause an affected individual to have a spinal or chest wall deformity that can lead to limited lung function. The increased risk of developing heart disease due to cerebral palsy is attributed to the fact cerebral palsy is a movement disorder that causes a sedentary lifestyle, which leads to the development of obesity and hypertension. Obesity and hypertension are two of the most significant risk factors for developing heart disease, which is amplified if the affected individual also happens to smoke.