Question
What causes pediatric cerebral palsy?
Answer
The possible causes of pediatric cerebral palsy include genetic factors, complications during pregnancy, trauma during childbirth, and diseases in the neonatal period. The most common cause is brain damage due to hypoxia in premature infants. Abnormal conditions during pregnancy, such as fetal brain malformations and multiple pregnancies, can be triggering factors for pediatric cerebral palsy. The risk of cerebral palsy in twins is more than six times higher than that in singletons. In the neonatal period, premature birth and low birth weight are important risk factors for cerebral palsy. The lighter the weight, the higher the chance of developing cerebral palsy. Modern research shows that more than half of cerebral palsy cases are caused by prematurity.