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Article: Cerebral palsy linked to prenatal causes.
- Article from:
- Pediatrics for Parents
- Article date:
- December 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Pediatrics for Parents, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A report from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics concludes that most instances of cerebral palsy originate from prenatal causes, rather than lack of oxygen (hypoxia) during labor and delivery. The task force that prepared the report studied infants who were term or near term at birth (34 weeks or more).
Babies with cerebral palsy usually have symptoms of neonatal encephalopathy (any defect of the function or structure of the brain) at birth--poor muscle tone, breathing problems or seizures. Not all babies with neonatal encephalopathy have neurological problems. However, children who have cerebral palsy ...