How to prolong Life Expectancy with Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a term used to describe a group of disabilities that affect a child’s ability to move as a result of birth injury to the brain. CP is a permanent but non-progressive condition that doesn’t get worse as a child grows into adulthood. Except in cases where a babies born with serious health problems, CP is not a life-threatening disability and most infants diagnosed with it live normal life spans.

The main factors for life expectancy in cerebral palsy are gross motor function and feeding. Children who are fully ambulatory and who self-feed have life expectancies that are not dramatically less than normal. Less significant factors include fine motor function (hand use), cognitive function, epilepsy.
Type of cerebral palsy. The most common type of cerebral palsy is the spastic form, which is characterized by rigid muscle tone (i.e., spasticity). Less common are the athetoid type, characterized by continual slow movements and the dyskinetic type (impairment of voluntary movements resulting in jerky motions). Other types of cerebral palsy, such as ataxia (an inability to coordinate voluntary muscular movements), or mixed types are also possible. It is sometimes speculated that the different types are associated with differences in life expectancy. However, in unpublished research our group did not find any support for this notion, once severity of disabilities, as measured by level of function, is taken into account. For the estimation of life expectancy, by far the most useful classification is the pattern of disability.
CP affects the motor center of a child’s brain. As a result, infants with the condition may suffer unpredictable or uncontrolled movements. Children withcerebral palsy may have stiff, tight, or weak muscles. Even mild variations of CP can cause involuntary tremors or shaky movements. Children who have more severe manifestations of the condition often have trouble with head and neck control, eating, swallowing, and bladder and bowel control.
Though CP does not cause other disabilities independently, it is often accompanied by associated conditions that have adverse effects on a child’s life expectancy. These associated conditions are usually not connected with the brain injury that causes CP. These conditions include:
Intellectual impairment
Vision impairment
Eating difficulties
Inability to walk
Epilepsy

if you have any question you can sent email : service@ekbwyy.com 
for me i will replay you as soon as Possible!
you can like this article :
stem cells treatment for cerebral palsy 
traditional chinese meidicine for children cerebral palsy

Stem Cells Can Help Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy (CP) comprises a group of disorders caused by brain damage during pregnancy, delivery or shortly after delivery. It is often accompanied by impaired movement, speaking, hearing, eyesight, lack of coordination and mental underdevelopment.

With the advancement of stem cell treatments in China now you have a novel treatment option for cerebral palsy. Unlike the currently available conventional treatments, our stem cell regimen is different in the way that we target to repair the brain tissue damage itself and recover functions. Stem cell treatment focuses on the root of the problem and not just the symptoms.

Cell death occurs when cells are injured. However, these dead cells are surrounded by damaged and healthy cells. Stem cells have the potential to stimulate the healing of these injured cells by the secretion of cytokines, such as nerve growth factor to promote the body’s self-repair mechanism.

After treatment, depending on the type of CP 74.5% to 79.5% of children gained improvements in the following areas:
Significant decrease in abnormal muscle tone
Enhanced muscular strength
Improved motor function (such as posture stability, holding the neck in a vertical position, sitting, grasping hands, standing, walking, gait)
Better coordination
Increased appetite with weight gain
Language function and intelligence
Improved concentration skills, better memory
Decreased Strabismus

Normalized Salivation

CP patients with epilepsy are not eligible for the treatment. Since stem cell treatment increases the excitability of the brain cells to promote its repair may trigger the occurence of epilepsy. However, epilepsy patients who have controlled epilepsy for more than 6 months duration may be considered for stem cell transplantation.
Patients with hydrocephalus.
When intelligence is desired to be improved for patients with severe mental retardation but otherwise with fine motor skills the treatment did not proved to be effective so far. Therefore, we do not advocate stem cell therapy for this group.

The results are not clear in autistic or hyperactive children. The results are more pronounced in cases of coexistence of autism or hyperactivism with cerebral palsy or movement disorders.

Non-Spastic Cerebral Palsy Causes and Treatment

Non-Spastic Cerebral Palsy Causes
The pyramidal tract plays a vital role in the body’s central nervous system. It sends motor impulses to the rest of the body through fibers. These impulses are responsible for helping the body manage its voluntary actions. If a brain injury happens inside this tract, spastic cerebral palsy is often the result. If it happens outside the tract, though, non-spastic cerebral palsy can transpire. Due to the location of the injury, mental deficiencies are typically not an issue when it comes to non-spastic cerebral palsy.
Non-Spastic Cerebral Palsy Treatment
People living with non-spastic cerebral palsy should seek out medical attention as soon as they can. Early detection can make a big difference where any form of cerebral palsy is involved.
After doing an assessment of the patient and looking over their medical history, most physicians will initiate a regimen of physical therapy. Children with this disability may improve simply by working on their precise motor skills, exercising their muscles and practicing balancing while they stand or walk.

Occupational therapy may also help patients with necessary living skills for everyday life. Therapists can assist with dressing, eating, communicating with others and enjoying normal activities. Medication can also assist with patients who might drool, shake or suffer from painful muscles.

How do you know if your baby has CP?

CP can be different in each child. Some children have mild CP. They may have some awkward body movements and need little or no special help. Other children have more serious CP. They may need a lot of special care their whole lives. CP doesn’t get worse over time, but its symptoms can change.
Some but not all babies with CP often have developmental delays. This means your child doesn't reach developmental milestones when expected. A developmental milestone is a skill or activity that most children can do at a certain age. Milestones include sitting, walking, talking, having social skills and having thinking skills. Tell your child’s health care provider if you notice any of these signs in your baby at these ages:
Younger than 6 months
His head falls back when you pick him up from lying on his back.
He feels stiff or floppy.
He seems to push away when you hold him.
His legs get stiff legs and cross or “scissor” when you pick him up.
Older than 6 months
He doesn't roll over.
He can’t bring his hands together.
He has trouble bringing his hands to his mouth.
He reaches with only one hand while keeping his other hand in a fist.
Older than 10 months
He crawls by pushing off with one hand and one leg while dragging the other hand and leg.
He scoots around on his bottom or hops on his knees, but does not crawl on all fours.
Older than 1 year
He can’t crawl.

He can’t stand up with support.

What Is Athetoid Cerebral Palsy

Athetoid cerebral palsy is a form of athetonia, which is marked by slow, writhing involuntary muscle movement. A mixed muscle tone where some are too high and others too low also characterize Athetoid cerebral palsy. Damage to the basal ganglia, located in the midbrain, is the cause of athetoid cerebral palsy. Approximately 25 percent of cerebral palsy patients are affected by athetoid cerebral palsy. Athetoid cerebral palsy can also be referred to as dyskenetic cerebral palsy.
The part of the brain affected manages co-ordination and body posture.
A child suffering from this type of CP may exhibit normal learning with however no two cases are exactly the same and different parts of the body affected. The range of severity is broad although many children display similar characteristics.
Athetoid cerebral palsy symptoms:
Involuntary movements brought on because of the changes in muscle tone - tense and then relaxed.
Emotional stress heightens the symptoms so it is beneficial to keep the child as relaxed as possible. Involuntary movement tends to subside during rest and sleep.
Eye contact problems because random movements create focusing issues.
Speech can be affected due to breathing problems and tongue and vocal chord control.
Frustration can often be a problem as a child keen to perform a task which random involuntary movements prevent them from doing.
Drooling and eating problems are also symptoms of the condition.
Doctors may be reluctant to diagnose athetoid cerebral palsy until a child has failed developmental milestones. It is often the case that parents identify problems before medical diagnosis.
Other common associated conditions include:
Learning Difficulty
Epilepsy
Spatial Awareness
Hearing Problems
Behavioral Problems
Sleep Problems
Difficulty Feeding
Drooling

A person with athetoid cerebral palsy can also have difficulty holding onto an object, like a pencil or eating utensil, because of the mixed tone of muscles. Athetoid cerebral palsy can make a person work and concentrate harder than usual to get their hand to a certain spot, like scratching their nose. This is also concurrent with big, involuntary movements and is found through the entire body rather than being restricted to a certain area. The treatment of athetoid cerebral palsy varies on the concentration of symptoms. It is important for physical therapy to begin soon after diagnosis is made. Daily range of motion exercises will help prevent muscles from growing weak and atrophied or rigidly fixed from contracture. For those suffering from dysarthia, speech therapy can help improve swallowing and communication. A speech therapist also can work with the child to learn to use special communication devices like computers with voice synthesizers.

Why Does My Baby Have Cerebral Palsy

My 13 year old son has cerebral palsy. The best advice I ever received was this: If you want to move into the acceptance phase to help your child understand how to cope, how to treat it ?

Children with cerebral palsy have an impairment in the area of the brain that controls movement and muscle tone. Many of these youngsters have normal intelligence, even though they have difficulty with motor control and movement. The condition causes different types of motor disability, which can vary from quite mild and barely noticeable to very profound. Depending on the severity of the problem, a child with cerebral palsy may simply be a little clumsy or awkward, or he may be unable to walk.
Some children have weakness and poor motor control of one arm and one leg on the same side of the body (called hemiparesis). Many have problems with paralysis of both upper or lower extremities; this is called diplegia. In some children the muscle tone generally is increased (called spasticity or hypertonia), while others are abnormally limp (called hypotonia). While many of these children understand language, their ability to produce speech may be affected.
Cerebral palsy is caused by malformation or damage to the brain, usually during pregnancy, but occasionally during delivery, or immediately after birth. A report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists concluded that the majority of cerebral palsy cases are not the result of events during labor and delivery, such as an insufficient supply of oxygen (hypoxia).

Premature birth is associated with an increased risk of cerebral palsy. A baby also can get cerebral palsy from very severe jaundice after birth, or later on in infancy from an injury or illness affecting the brain.

Definition of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is considered a neurological disorder caused by a non-progressive brain injury or malformation that occurs while the child’s brain is under development. Cerebral palsy primarily affects body movement and muscle coordination. Though cerebral palsy can be defined, having cerebral palsy does not define the person that has the condition.
While cerebral palsy (pronounced seh-ree-brel pawl-zee) is a blanket term commonly referred to as “CP” and described by loss or impairment of motor function, cerebral palsy is actually caused by brain damage. The brain damage is caused by brain injury or abnormal development of the brain that occurs while a child’s brain is still developing — before birth, during birth, or immediately after birth.
Cerebral palsy affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance. It can also impact fine motor skills, gross motor skills and oral motor functioning.

The term cerebral palsy refers to any one of a number of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body movement and muscle coordination but don’t worsen over time. Even though cerebral palsy affects muscle movement, it isn’t caused by problems in the muscles or nerves. It is caused by abnormalities in parts of the brain that control muscle movements. The majority of children with cerebral palsy are born with it, although it may not be detected until months or years later. The early signs of cerebral palsy usually appear before a child reaches 3 years of age. The most common are a lack of muscle coordination when performing voluntary movements (ataxia); stiff or tight muscles and exaggerated reflexes (spasticity); walking with one foot or leg dragging; walking on the toes, a crouched gait, or a “scissored” gait; and muscle tone that is either too stiff or too floppy. A small number of children have cerebral palsy as the result of brain damage in the first few months or years of life, brain infections such as bacterial meningitis or viral encephalitis, or head injury from a motor vehicle accident, a fall, or child abuse.