title: Survival with cerebral palsy over five decades in western Sweden.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The life expectancy of individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) is often reduced compared with the general population. Long-term survival with CP is rarely reported. The aim of this study was to investigate survival and the causes of death in relation to CP type and motor and accompanying impairments documented in the CP register of western Sweden over five decades.
  
  
  METHODS
  All individuals born between 1959 and 2002 were included in the study. CP was classified according to Hagberg and the Surveillance of Cerebral Palsy in Europe (SCPE). Motor and accompanying impairments were documented. Causes of death were derived from the National Board of Health and Welfare, and population data were obtained from Statistics Sweden. Log-rank tests with Kaplan-Meier plots were used for statistical analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 1856 individuals (1033 males, 823 females) with CP included in the study, 180 (9.6%) had died by 31 December 2009. Tetraplegia, dyskinetic CP, severe cognitive impairment, and epilepsy were associated with decreased survival rates. At Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level V, survival rates among individuals with spastic CP were lower than among those with dyskinetic CP. However, compared with the general population, there was an elevated death rate among individuals with CP for all age groups and CP types. At all ages, females with CP had a larger excess risk of death than males. Respiratory failure caused 53% of deaths. For individuals with hemiplegia, as in the general population, 20% of deaths were accidental.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Survival rates are influenced by CP type but there is an elevated risk of death for individuals with any type of CP, compared with those without CP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Institute for Clinical Sciences at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.|Regional Rehabilitation Centre, Queen Silvia's Children's Hospital, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Himmelmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Institute of Community Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Valter
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sundh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult