Cerebral palsy and aging

Abstract

Cerebral palsy (CP), the most common major disabling motor disorder of childhood, is frequently thought of as a condition that affects only children. Deaths in children with CP, never common, have in recent years become very rare, unless the child is very severely and multiply disabled. Thus, virtually all children assigned the diagnosis of CP will survive into adulthood. Attention to the adult with CP has been sparse, and the evolution of the motor disorder as the individual moves through adolescence, young adulthood, middle age, and old age is not well understood. Nor do we know what happens to other functional domains, such as communication and eating behavior, in adults with CP. Although the brain injury that initially causes CP by definition does not progressively worsen through the lifetime, the effects of CP manifest differently throughout the life span. The aging process must inevitably interact with the motor disorder, but we lack systematic, large-scale follow-up studies of children with CP into adulthood and through adulthood with thorough assessments performed over time. In this paper we summarize what is known of the epidemiology of CP throughout the life span, beginning with mortality and life expectancy, then survey what is known of functioning, ability, and quality of life of adults with CP. We conclude by describing a framework for future research on CP and aging that is built around the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) and suggest specific tools and approaches for conducting that research in a sound manner.

Cerebral palsy dysphagia: a systematic review

“…The damage is not progressive and it weakens in a variable way the coordination of the muscular action, resulting in the child's inability to maintain postures and to perform normal movements, being able, with the passage of time, to have changes in its clinical manifestations. It is classified by the body location of the neuromotor impairment, and the most common are tetraparesis, hemiparesis and paraparesis, and by type of tonus and posture alteration: athetoid, ataxic, hypotonic, spastic (corresponding to about 80% of cases) and mixed [1][2][3] . The major cause of CP is perinatal anoxia due to abnormal or prolonged labor.…”

“…People may have difficulties in motor actions, such as eating and swallowing, hindering hydration and adequate nutrition, which compromises nutritional status 2,6 . The alimentary difficulties range from neurological immaturity to the interference of the mood state and their caregivers' preparation.…”

Brain Damage and Long-Lasting Sequels in Childhood: What Does Cerebral Palsy (CP) Mean at the Beginning of the XXI Century?

“…30 and adult life 31 Cerebral palsy is often seen as a disorder involving children only. But children with CP nearly always grow up to become adults with CP, and with continuing improvements in survival.…”

Paralisia cerebral: análise dos padrões da deglutição antes e após intervenção fonoaudiológica

“…A PC é freqüentemente associada com distúrbios de deglutição [28][29][30][31] . Em um estudo 32 foi analisado que 24% dos pacientes apresentavam penetração laríngea de alimentos e 39% aspiração silente de saliva.…”