Spectrum of clinical profile, co-morbidities and parental burden of cerebral palsy children in a tertiary care centre

Abstract

Background: The cerebral palsy is the most common cause of severe physical disability in childhood. The developmental disabilities are a group of disorders differentiated by the pattern of delay among developmental streams. The four streams of development include language, problem solving, motor and social. Cerebral palsy (CP) is a disorder of development in which motor function abnormalities are a key feature. Severity varies from mild to severe. Cerebral palsy is a very challenging disability for parents and professionals. Cerebral palsy is a heterogeneous group of persistent disorders of movement and posture caused by non-progressive defects or lesions of immature brain, is the most common cause of childhood disability. The incidence of CP is 2 to 2.5 per thousand live births. During the past twenty years, there have been increases in the incidence and prevalence of CP that may be related to improved documentation of cases, advances in neonatal care and other factors.Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study. A total of 100 Cerebral Palsy cases were studied in Neuro-developmental clinic, in BMC and RI.Results: Clinical profile of our study shows 74% Spastic cerebral palsy cases (of which 38% were quadriparetic, 31% were diplegic and 5% were hemiparetic), 19% of Hypotonic CP, 1% of Dystonic CP and 6% of Mixed CP cases. Co morbidities in the form of Mental retardation was seen in 94%, feeding problem 64%, visual problems in 39%, seizure disorder in 39%, hearing problems in 18%, behavioral problems 16% of cases.Conclusions: Perinatal asphyxia was important preventable cause of cerebral palsy. Majority of cerebral palsy children were of spastic type. Mental retardation, feeding problem, hearing and vision impairment and seizures were major co morbidities in children with cerebral palsy. Nuclear type of family and high number of co morbidities of the disabled child correlated significantly with higher caregiver burden.