cerebral palsy, DD, NCBDDD, CDC

Photo of child with cerebral palsy painting a picture

MADDSP tracks the number of school-age children living in five counties of metro Atlanta who have cerebral palsy, hearing loss, vision impairment, intellectual disabilities, and/or autism spectrum disorders. In 1996, an estimated 3.6 per 1,000 8-year-old children in metro Atlanta, or about 1 in 278, had cerebral palsy. In 2000, the prevalence was an estimated 3.1 per 1,000, or about 1 in 323, 8-year-olds. In 1996 and 2000, respectively, 55% and 60% of children with cerebral palsy also had one or more other developmental disabilities tracked by MADDSP. [Read more about MADDSP]

CDC also studied how many children in metropolitan Atlanta had cerebral palsy in the mid-1980s. This project was done as part of the Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Study (MADDS), which studied how common certain disabilities were in 10-year-old children. We found that 23 of every 10,000 10-year-old children had cerebral palsy. Eighty-one percent of the children had spastic cerebral palsy. Seventy-five percent had one or more other disabilities (epilepsy, mental retardation, hearing loss, or vision impairment. [Read a summary of the article about cerebral palsy in MADDS] [Read more about MADDS]

In another study, CDC used data from the National Health Interview Survey - Child Health Supplement to find the number of children with cerebral palsy in the United States in 1988. The survey asked parents, or other adults, if children in the home had cerebral palsy. The study showed that 23 of every 10,000 children 17 years of age or younger had cerebral palsy. [Read a summary of the article on cerebral palsy in the United States]

Boyle CA, Decoufle P, Yeargin-Allsopp M. Prevalence and health impact of developmental disabilities in US children. Pediatrics. 1994;93:399-403. [Read a summary of the Boyle et al article]

Murphy CC, Yeargin-Allsopp M, Decoufle P, Drews CD. Prevalence of cerebral palsy among ten-year-old children in metropolitan Atlanta, 1985 through 1987. Journal of Pediatrics 1993;123:S13-20. [Read a summary of the Murphy et al article]

Cerebral palsy is caused by brain damage that affects a child's ability to control his or her muscles. The part of the brain that is damaged determines what parts of the body are affected. There are many possible causes of the brain damage. Some causes affect how the child's brain develops during the first 6 months of pregnancy. These causes include genetic conditions and problems with the blood supply to the brain. Other causes of cerebral palsy happen after the brain has developed. These causes can occur during later pregnancy, delivery, or the first years of the child's life. They include bacterial meningitis and other infections, bleeding in the brain, lack of oxygen, severe jaundice, and head injury.

Children who are born prematurely or who are very low birth weight (less than 1,500 grams or about 3 1/3 pounds) are more likely to have problems that might lead to cerebral palsy. However, children who are full term and normal birth weight can also have cerebral palsy.

CDC funds the North Atlantic Neuro-Epidemiology Alliance (NANEA) to study factors that might make it more likely a child will develop cerebral palsy. These factors include infection, bleeding, and raised temperature during pregnancy. The studies are being done in Denmark. [Read more on the NANEA Web site - click on Research and then on Cerebral Palsy]

CDC has studied the causes of cerebral palsy among 3- to 10-year-old children in MADDSP in 1991. For 10% of the children, the cause of their cerebral palsy had happened after they were 30 days old. The most common causes in these children were meningitis, child abuse, stroke, and car crashes. [Read the MADDSP study of causes of cerebral palsy]

CDC also looked at the causes of cerebral palsy among 10-year-old children in MADDS in the mid 1980s. For 16% of the children, the cause of their cerebral palsy also had happened after they were 30 days old. The most common of these causes were infections, head injury, and stroke. [Read a summary of the MADDS study that looked at causes of cerebral palsy]

If you would like to learn more about a specific genetic condition that you think could cause cerebral palsy, you can go to the National Library of Medicine's Genetics Home Reference Web site. Information on each genetic condition includes symptoms, how common the condition is, related genes, treatments, and links to resources where you can learn more about the condition. The Genetics Home Reference Web site also can help you learn more about genetics, including about genetic testing, genetic counseling, and gene therapy. [Go to the Genetics Home Reference Web site]

Some causes of cerebral palsy can be prevented. For example, bike helmets and car seats can prevent head injuries that might result in cerebral palsy. Another cause that can be prevented is kernicterus, a kind of brain damage that happens when a newborn baby has too much jaundice. In some newborn babies, the liver makes too much yellow pigment, called bilirubin. If too much bilirubin builds up in a new baby's body, the skin and whites of the eyes turn yellow. This yellow coloring is called jaundice. A little jaundice is not a problem. It is actually very common in newborn babies and usually goes away by itself. Some babies, however, have too much jaundice. If not treated, these high levels of bilirubin can damage a baby's brain. Kernicterus most often causes cerebral palsy and hearing loss, but in some children it can also cause mental retardation. Kernicterus can be prevented by using special lights (phototherapy) or other therapies to treat babies. [Read more about kernicterus]

Cerebral palsy cannot be cured. Treatment can, however, help a person take part in family, school, and work activities as much as possible. There are many treatments, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, medicine, operations, and braces.

Batshaw ML. Children with disabilities (4th edition). Baltimore MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.;1997.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Postnatal Causes of Developmental Disabilities in Children Aged 3-10 Years -- Atlanta, Georgia, 1991. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 1996;45:130-134. [Read the postnatal causes article]

Geralis E (Editor). Children with cerebral palsy: a parents' guide. Rockville, MD: Woodbine House; 1991.

Many people with cerebral palsy need long-term services or care. The average lifetime cost for one person with cerebral palsy is estimated to be $921,000 (in 2003 dollars). This represents costs over and above those experienced by a person who does not have a disability.

It is estimated that the lifetime costs for all people with cerebral palsy who were born in 2000 will total $11.5 billion (in 2003 dollars). These costs include both direct and indirect costs. Direct medical costs, such as doctor visits, prescription drugs, and inpatient hospital stays, make up 10% of these costs. Direct nonmedical expenses, such as home modifications, car modifications, and special education, make up 9% of the costs. Indirect costs, which include the value of lost wages when a person dies early, cannot work, or is limited in the amount or type of work he or she can do, make up 81% of the costs.

These estimates do not include other expenses, such as hospital outpatient visits, emergency department visits, residential care, and family out-of-pocket expenses. The actual economic costs of cerebral palsy are, therefore, even higher than what is reported here.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Economic costs associated with mental retardation, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, and vision impairment --- United States, 2003. MMWR 2004;53:57-9. [Read this article on economic costs]

Honeycutt AA, Grosse SD, Dunlap LJ, Schendel DE, Chen H, Brann E, al Homsi G. Economic costs of mental retardation, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, and vision impairment. In: Altman BM, Barnartt SN, Hendershot GE, Larson SA, editors. Using survey data to study disability: results from the National Health Interview Survey on Disability. Research in social science and disability, volume 3. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 2003. p. 207-28.

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