Genetic Causes of Cerebral Palsy (CP)

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Genetic Causes of Cerebral Palsy (CP)

A group of disorders is cerebral palsy that affects the ability of a person to maintain and move posture and balance. In childhood, a typical motor disability is CP. The meaning of cerebral is to do with the brain. Or the sense of palsy means problems and weakness by using muscles. This disorder is caused by abnormal brain damage or brain development that primarily affects people's ability to control their powers.

CP symptoms are different from person to person. Every person that has severe CP might or maybe not able to walk. They require some special equipment to walk, or they need lifelong care. On the other hand, those persons with not too severe CP might walk, but they don't need any other special equipment or help. Over time, it not becomes worse, but those with exact symptoms of this disorder can change those persons for a lifetime.

Most patients with CP have problems with posture or movement, or most have related to conditions like intellectual disability like seizures. In addition, they may have hearing, vision, speech, changes in the spine or some joint issues.

Kinds of Cerebral Palsy

Types of CP depend on those areas of the brain that are most affected. So there are four main types of CP added Assignment Help UK here;

 

These types are:

  1. Spastic Cerebral Palsy
  2. Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy
  3. Ataxic Cerebral Palsy
  4. Mixed Cerebral Palsy
  • Spastic Cerebral Palsy

One of the most common types is Spastic CP. About 80% of people with CP have this Spastic type CP. In this disorder, people have increased their muscle tone. It means that the muscles of these people are stiffer or they have awkward movements.

  • Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy

This kind of CP causes difficulties in the movement of arms, legs, feet, and hands movement in people. So they have difficulty in walking and sitting—they have uncontrolled movements. Sometimes the tongue and face of people are affected or face a tough time swallowing, sucking, or talking.

  • Ataxic Cerebral Palsy

People that have this type of CP have problems with coordination and balance. For example, when they are walking, they remain unsteady. People feel a tough time in quick movements in this type of disorder, especially in those movements that require much control, like writing. Or, if they want to reach something, they feel a tough time controlling their arms and hands.

  • Mixed Cerebral Palsy

Some people are those that have symptoms of one or two types of CP. In this, it is called mixed CP that would be more severe.

Causes of Cerebral Palsy

There are some different causes of CP, though stroke and prematurity are the most significant causes. But in most CP cases, the personal reasons still unknown arise due to complications of birth like lack of oxygen. However, scientifically, it is accepted that CP usually occurs from a series of causal pathways like some events sequences combine to accelerate or cause injury to the brain developing.

For instance, the most significant risk factor is premature birth for CP.

Risk Factors

Although CP not causes due to risk factors, their existence may increase the diagnosis chances of CP.

Some factors are including:

  • A premature birth that may earlier than 37 weeks.
  • During the pregnancy or birth causes, prolonged oxygen loss.
  • Low birth weight of children.
  • Twins, triplet or multiple births may increase the low birth weight or prematurity.
  • After birth, severe jaundice in children.
  • Problems of blood clotting
  • Placental inability, in the fetus developing with nutrients and oxygen.
  • Incompatibility of the blood type baby with their mother.
  • In early pregnancy, maternal infection with viral diseases or German measles.
  • Bacterial infection of maternal, fetal or infants that attacks the central nervous system of children.

Is Cerebral Palsy Hereditary or Genetic?

Familial CP is uncommon. People only 1% are those that have CP disorder with also their siblings. In twins, CP is usually unique. It means that if one child in twins has a CP disorder, then only 10% of people have this disorder with their co-twins.

Generally, researchers believe that a genetic predisposition with some characteristics like heart problems and prematurity potentially acts as the causal pathway that results from developing CP disorder.

What about Genetic Predisposition

Recently, the parents of children diagnosed with CP ask doctors whether CP is hereditary or genetic?

CP is not a hereditary condition; researchers discover that hereditary factors can predispose a person to CP. Or a specific genetic disorder directly does not cause CP. But minor effects can cause by genetic influencers on several genes. However, gene-to-gene interactions also develop genetic influences or form complex interactions with various or multiple environmental impacts.

Or this interaction is known as multifactorial or complex inheritance, or it is also explained that how CP run in the family, or clinically this condition is known as familial recurrence. Few genetic contributions to risk factors are including birth, preterm, fetal growth restrictions, placental abruption, breech presentations, preeclampsia or chorioamnionitis. One study is published in a Journal in athetoid CP genetic factors identified familial recurrence, typically athetoid CP associated with microcephaly, seizures, spasticity or intellectual impairment as an X-Linked recessive or autosomal recessive inheritance.

Still due to random gene mutations causes genetic brain disorders. Or spontaneous gene mutation is caused by exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides or cigarette smoke. Some congenital disabilities also contribute to the malformations of the brain that nerve cell connection or cause CP disorder. Some cases of dysfunctional hereditary genes also prevent the healthy development of the brain.

However, familiar Cerebral Palsy approximately accounts for 1.6% of all CP cases. Therefore, those parents who diagnosed their one child with the CP disorder increased the risk that their second child could also get this condition of disease. Molecular tests in these cases identify the susceptible gene.

Treatment

There is no exact treatment or cure for CP. But therapy may improve the lives of those people that have this disorder. So they should make their treatment programs as possible as early. Common treatments are including surgery, medicines, physical, braces, speech or occupational therapy. However, not a single treatment is enough or best for all children that have this disorder. So before treatment, parents should talk to the doctor about all benefits or risks.

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