Risk factors for cerebral palsy in term birth infants.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to identify the antenatal, intrapartum and neonatal risk factors in term birth infants for cerebral palsy (CP) among babies in a hospital-based study.


METHODS
The medical records of children with cerebral palsy referred to our Pediatric Rehabilitation Department in Bialystok were reviewed. Antenatal, intrapartum, and neonatal events were compared among 213 children with CP and 280 controls in a retrospective study. We studied live births >36 weeks gestation born between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2005.


RESULTS
Fifty-seven percent of the infants with CP were male. Spastic tetraplegia 78 (36.61%) and spastic hemiplegia 65 (30.51%) were the dominant types of CP. Factors associated with an increased risk of CP identified as antenatal and intrapartum risk factors were pre-eclampsia, abruptio placenta, and placenta previa. Birth asphyxia occurred significantly more often (p<0.001) in children with CP compared to controls. In the neonatal period, respiratory distress syndrome, meningitis and neonatal seizures were associated with an increased incidence of CP.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings confirm that several antenatal, intrapartum and neonatal risk factors for CP in term birth infants contribute to the etiology of CP.
Kułak
W
W
Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation, Medical University in Białystok, Poland. kneur2@wp.pl
Okurowska-Zawada
B
B
Sienkiewicz
D
D
Paszko-Patej
G
G
Krajewska-Kułak
E
E
D000037:Abruptio Placentae / Q000453:epidemiology; D001238:Asphyxia Neonatorum / Q000453:epidemiology; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010923:Placenta Previa / Q000453:epidemiology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D047929:Term Birth