Question
What are the causes of pediatric cerebral palsy? A mother was informed during her pregnancy that her fetus’s health condition was not good, yet she fought hard to keep the child. After birth, the child showed delayed intellectual development and insufficient motor skills compared to same age children, and was diagnosed with pediatric cerebral palsy after examination.
Answer
The causes of pediatric cerebral palsy are diverse, including neonatal ischemic encephalopathy. Prenatal factors such as abnormal brain development during the embryonic period, such as microcephaly, congenital hydrocephalus, or anencephaly; maternal injuries during pregnancy, pregnancy toxemia, diabetes, or radiation exposure, which may affect fetal brain development and lead to permanent brain damage; maternal infections with rubella or toxoplasmosis in the early stages of pregnancy, which may also affect fetal central nervous system development; premature or low-birth-weight infants, whose underdeveloped nervous systems are prone to bleeding or hypoxia; and post-term pregnancies.