Question
My aunt’s sister had a daughter, and initially, the child’s intelligence and development seemed relatively normal during the check-ups. However, it has gradually been discovered that the child’s movements are slower than other children. At 9 months old, she still cannot crawl, sit, or make a sound. The examination results indicate cerebral palsy.
Answer
The causes of cerebral palsy are numerous, and sometimes multiple factors may be present under specific circumstances. The most common are prenatal factors, including genetic and chromosomal disorders, congenital infections, brain malformations or developmental abnormalities, as well as hypoxia due to fetal brain ischemia or periventricular leukomalacia or basal ganglia injury. Perinatal factors refer to brain injuries that occur within the first week after birth, including cerebral edema, neonatal shock, intracranial hemorrhage, sepsis, or central nervous system infections, as well as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.