Cerebral palsy and newborn care. I: secular trends in cerebral palsy.
Reports of cerebral palsy prevalence rates per live births in recent decades in western nations show a mixed pattern. Declining rates were noted in Bristol, England, and in Denmark; but more recently a rising rate was noted in Ireland. In Western Sweden a decline has been followed by a recent rise, and in Western Australia a rise has been followed by a decline. Rates with not statistically significant changes have been found in Iceland and Birmingham, England, and over the seven-year span of the US Collaborative Perinatal Project, although their over-all direction was downward. No single factor is likely to explain the trends observed.
D001315:Australia; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004739:England; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland; D007224:Infant Care / Q000639:trends*; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007494:Ireland; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States