Incidence of Epilepsy in Adults with Cerebral Palsy and Secondary Health Outcomes: A Review and Proposed Feasibility Study

Abstract

Cerebral palsy is one of the most common chronic childhood disorders, occurring in 2-2.5 of every 1000 live births; it is a persistent disorder of movement and posture caused by non-progressive lesions of the immature brain. Epilepsy is an important problem in children with cerebral palsy, with past studies showing an average incidence of epilepsy in about one-third in cases of cerebral palsy. Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain characterized by an enduring predisposition to generate seizures, common in patients who have other factors (such as cerebral palsy) that are associated with a very high likelihood of a persistently lowered seizure threshold and therefore a high recurrence risk.A few studies were conducted in the past analyzing the correlation of cerebral palsy and epilepsy in children; however, no study has been conducted yet evaluating the evolution of cerebral palsy in the transition from childhood to adulthood, and how the incidence, prevalence and clinical course of epilepsy change in such a time lapse. Furthermore, no studies yet evaluated the classification of seizures in this adult population, their correlations to cerebral palsy and its degrees of severity, and associated secondary health conditions, causing epidemiological data to be lacking in that regard. This aim of this manuscript is to introduce to the reader the current evidence regarding epilepsy in adults with cerebral palsy, as well as present recommendations for future research.

The association between isometric strength and cognitive function in adults with cerebral palsy

“…This report analyzed data collected from the parent study; “The Cerebral Palsy Adult Transition Study” (CPAT) which has been previously described ( 2 , 3 , 21 , 22 ). The CPAT study was performed at a clinical motion analysis laboratory in a regional children’s hospital that has been serving the health needs of individuals with CP for over 20 years ( 2 , 3 , 21 , 22 ). The facility is accredited by the Commission for Motion Laboratory Accreditation (CMLA 1 ) and is composed of a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers.…”

“…Participants with a confirmed diagnosis of CP over the age of 18 years were identified from an internal patient registry and were invited to participate in a short telephone screening survey to determine if they were (1) interested and able to participate in the study, and (2) able to walk across a 35-foot (10.6 m) walkway, with or without assistive devices, at least three times. A total of 72 ambulatory participants passed the study inclusion criteria and participated in the parent CPAT study ( 2 , 3 , 21 , 22 ). For this study evaluating the associations between peak RFD of the quadriceps, HGS, and cognitive function in ambulatory adults with CP, data from 57 participants out of the 72 were used for the analysis.…”

“…This report analyzed data collected from the parent study; "The Cerebral Palsy Adult Transition Study" (CPAT) which has been previously described (2,3,21,22). The CPAT study was performed at a clinical motion analysis laboratory in a regional children's hospital that has been serving the health needs of individuals with CP for over 20 years (2,3,21,22). The facility is accredited by the Commission for Motion Laboratory Accreditation (CMLA 1 ) and is composed of a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers.…”