How Can I Determine Whether It Is Cerebral Palsy?
Whether it is cerebral palsy can be determined by factors such as the presence of brain injury, delayed motor ability, abnormal muscle tone and posture, decreased or abnormal active movement, and abnormal reflexes. In daily life, specific manifestations of cerebral palsy may include sucking difficulties, excessive quietness, physical stiffness, abnormal head circumference, fixed postures such as opisthotonos and frog-leg position, weight gain with weak lactation, strabismus, and other symptoms. However, it should be noted that babies with delayed mental development are not necessarily cerebral palsy, and some babies recover after being discharged from the hospital.
During pregnancy, factors that lead to ischemia and hypoxia in the fetus can cause brain damage. Severe hypotension, diabetes, hypertension, smoking, and improper medication use in pregnant women can also contribute to this. Incompatibility between the Rh blood types of the mother and fetus, as well as genetic factors, are high-risk factors for the occurrence of cerebral palsy in children. Newborn asphyxia, such as apnea at birth or misuse of hormones for labor induction, can lead to hypoxia and brain damage in infants. Difficult labor can result in head injuries, intracranial hematoma, and other complications for infants. Premature or low-birth-weight babies (weighing less than 2500 grams) have immature development and are more prone to hypoxia and intracranial injuries.
Other causes of cerebral palsy include high fever or severe dehydration caused by post-birth infections; head trauma or intracranial hemorrhage; brain infections such as meningitis and encephalitis; and nuclear jaundice in infants, which can cause brain damage due to abnormal bilirubin metabolism.
