Cerebral Palsy Risk Factors

Cerebral palsy information can be found throughout this website however for definitive medical advice reference should only be made to a healthcare professional.

Characteristics have been observed that seem to increase the possibility of a child being diagnosed with cerebral palsy. A risk factor is a variable which may increase the chance of a child developing a condition. The presence of a risk factor does not mean that the condition will occur, nor does the absence of a risk factor mean that the condition will not occur. If a risk factor is present then health care professionals should be aware of it and take care to ensure that they are ready to deal with any potential eventuality. Risk factors for cerebral palsy can be associated with the parents, as well as the child. The following are risk factors that can increase the risk of cerebral palsy:

These characteristics may include :-

  • Babies that are born with breech presentation
  • A complicated labour and delivery
  • Vascular or respiratory problems during labour and delivery may sometimes be the first sign that a baby has suffered brain damage or that a baby's brain has not developed normally
  • A first child
  • child born fifth or later in the family
  • The Apgar score which can be a useful source of cerebral palsy information is a rating that reflects a newborn's condition. To determine an Apgar score, doctors periodically check the baby's heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, reflexes, and skin colour in the first minutes after birth
  • One of a pair of twins, especially if one twin dies
  • Nervous system malformations which may be obvious at birth which indicate that problems occurred in the development of the nervous system prior to birth
  • Low birth weight, less than 3.5 pounds
  • Premature infant, less than 37 weeks
  • Multiple births
  • Rh or ABO blood type incompatibility between mother and infant
  • Attack by micro-organisms on the central nervous system of the infant

There are also indicators that show up in the mother carrying the child which may include:-

  • Severe proteinuria during the sixth to ninth months
  • Maternal bleeding during the sixth to ninth months
  • Mothers who have hyperthyroidism
  • Mothers who suffer from seizures
  • Infection by German measles and certain other viruses

Further cerebral palsy information on risk factors relates to the parents and increased risk has been observed in the following cases:-

  • Mother 40 years or older
  • Mother 20 years or younger
  • Father 20 years or younger
  • African-Caucasian ethnicity

Doctors, midwives, nurses and healthcare providers should be aware of circumstances that increase the risk of cerebral palsy and if they fail to take adequate care or fail to act on obvious risk becoming apparent then they may be liable in medical negligence if the absence of sensible precautions causes injury to an unborn child.

If you believe that your child's injury was caused by medical negligence and you would like free advice from an experienced birth injury solicitor then just complete the form to start your cerebral palsy claim and a member of The Law Society panel of medical negligence experts will telephone you to discuss your child's claim.