How long do people with cerebral palsy live: description of the disease, complications, life expectancy

In this article we will look at how long people with cerebral palsy live.

The disease stands for cerebral palsy. This is a concept that unites a group of motor disorders that arise as a result of damage to certain brain structures during the perinatal period. Cerebral palsy may include mono-, para-, hemi-, tetraparesis and paralysis, pathological disorders of muscle tone, speech disorders, hyperkinesis, unsteadiness of gait, impaired coordination of movements, retardation of the child in mental and motor development, and frequent falls.

What disorders occur with this disease?

With cerebral palsy, intellectual impairment, epilepsy, mental disorders, visual and hearing impairments may occur. This pathology is diagnosed mainly by anamnestic and clinical data. The algorithm for diagnostic examination of a child with cerebral palsy is aimed at identifying concomitant pathologies and excluding other congenital or postpartum pathologies. People with cerebral palsy must undergo lifelong rehabilitation therapy and, as necessary, receive medication, surgery and physiotherapy.

How long do people with cerebral palsy live, read below.

Opinion “I’m not a hero”: How children with cerebral palsy and their parents live in Russia and Europe

I have 254 patients in total, 254 children with cerebral palsy. And everyone has such a story. There is not a single parent who would not be persuaded to give up their child. There is no one to whom they would not talk about freaks and punishment for sins. There is no one who is not stared at in the streets and pointed at. I have such a child myself, and I took her to Germany. She goes to school there, everyone smiles at her there. Her medications are sold there, but in Russia they are banned like heroin. We come to Russia for the holidays, and I remember what it’s like when they shout in the back, when they take children away from the playground, if we come, when the administrator of the Obraztsova theater answers me: “They show freaks in the circus, but we have a theater, there are children here.” There’s no point in scaring them.”

A sick child is always a tragedy. But in Germany this is the only tragedy, and everyone around us helps us, and my child has a normal, happy childhood. In Russia, they even refuse to compensate us for a stroller once every five years, and there is rudeness everywhere, and there are a million pieces of paper and authorities everywhere, and come tomorrow, there are no our medicines, no help from doctors, no school and no rehabilitation either. I studied in Germany to become a physical therapist because in Russia they generally don’t know how to work with such children. And now, over and over again putting each subsequent child on his feet, I am amazed at how many of them could have lived healthy for a long time, if only they had been dealt with. How many have been told that rehabilitation is completely impossible with epilepsy? That there is no point in working with a child before a year. This is the illiteracy of doctors. It is compensated by our heroic mothers and fathers. They know everything about rehabilitation methods and are hunting for specialists, who are mainly brought from abroad. Remember the story about the girl who was put on her feet in three days in Germany? In one of the worst clinics in Germany, by the way.

What can we do to help such families? Stop interfering. Smile at these children on the street (you have no idea how important this is!). Help in transport and on the street. Do not create obstacles for them on purpose - do not prohibit the import of medicines and equipment, do not force them to run around and collect certificates for months, do not yell at them, do not tell them that their child will never get better (especially if there is not enough education to evaluate this), do not rush into stone them, don’t take them to the police for daring to come to the cafe. We don't have to add to their suffering. We can help shape public opinion so that it would be a shame to abandon your child. To be ashamed to shout: “Get your freak out!” At first it's just embarrassing. And only then a new attitude towards them will appear. Don’t tell me: “We don’t have something like that, here is a boy with cerebral palsy who walks around, and no one touches him.” Help until there is no one left who says: “And that’s exactly how it is with us.” That's all. Do not need anything else. Just remember this for everyone and pass it on.

In the meantime...

I'm not a hero. I can't live like this. I am ready to work around the clock so that my child goes to school and smiles. And I work around the clock. For life in Germany.

Photos: 2 via Shutterstock, The Village

Reasons for the development of cerebral palsy

According to scientific data, this pathology occurs as a result of the influence of various damaging factors on the child’s central nervous system, which cause abnormal development or death of certain parts of the brain. Moreover, the impact of such factors is observed in the perinatal period - before, during and in the first 4 weeks of the child’s life. The main pathogenetic link in the development of cerebral palsy is hypoxia, the occurrence of which is caused by various causative factors. First of all, those areas of the brain that are responsible for providing reflex motor mechanisms and maintaining balance are affected. As a result, paresis and paralysis typical of this disease, muscle tone disorders, and pathological acts of movement occur.

Many patients are interested in how many years people with cerebral palsy live.

Etiological factors

Etiological factors affecting during intrauterine development are various pathologies of pregnancy:

• fetoplacental insufficiency;
• toxicosis;
• premature placental abruption;
• nephropathy of pregnancy,
• Rhesus conflict;
• infections (rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes, toxoplasmosis, syphilis);
• threat of miscarriage;
• somatic pathologies of the mother (hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, heart defects, arterial hypertension) and injuries she suffered during pregnancy.

Risk factors influencing the occurrence of cerebral palsy during childbirth include:

• breech presentation of the fetus;
• premature, prolonged or rapid labor;
• large fruit;
• narrow pelvis;
• discoordinated labor;
• a long anhydrous period before delivery.

The main causes of cerebral palsy after childbirth

The main causes of cerebral palsy in the postpartum stage are hemolytic disease and asphyxia of the newborn, which may be associated with aspiration of amniotic fluid, lung malformations, and pregnancy pathologies. The most common postpartum cause of the disease is toxic brain damage due to hemolytic disease, which develops as a result of an immunological conflict or incompatibility of the blood of the fetus and mother.

What affects the life expectancy of people with cerebral palsy?

Symptoms of cerebral palsy

This disease can have different manifestations with varying degrees of severity. The picture of cerebral palsy depends on the depth and localization of damage to brain structures. In some cases, the disease can be noticed in the first hours of a baby’s life. However, most often the symptoms become obvious after a few months, when children begin to lag significantly behind in nervous and mental development.

The initial symptom of the disease may be delayed formation of motor skills. In this case, the child does not roll over for a long time, does not hold his head up, is not interested in toys, he is not able to consciously move his limbs or hold toys. When you try to get him to his feet, he stands on his tiptoes.

Parents want to find out how many years children with cerebral palsy live.

“I just want to do something for kids like my daughter.”

Every year the number of children and adults with rare diseases increases worldwide. Their life expectancy depends on timely diagnosis and the quality of care and rehabilitation. Directed by Maria Ivanova-Suraye,

the head of the Association of Families Raising Children with a Mutation in the CDKL5 Gene, told Kommersant special correspondent
Olga Allenova
what kind of government assistance is needed for children with this disease, why grants are needed for Russian geneticists and why, in her opinion, social protection authorities are not fulfilling their main task .

For a long time, children with a mutation in the CDKL5 gene were diagnosed with Rett syndrome, and only in 2012 a separate disease was identified. The CDKL5 mutation leads to early childhood epilepsy, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorders, and mental retardation. More than 1 million children live with this diagnosis in the world today. One child in 40 thousand is born with a mutation of this gene. In Russia, the disease has been officially diagnosed in 65 children. In fact, there are more of them, but in the regions they have not yet learned how to diagnose the disease.

In 2021, the CDKL5 Russia Association was created in Russia, headed by producer and director Maria Ivanova-Suraye

raising a child with this disease. The association is part of the international organization CDKL5 Alliance.

“Such children live in their own world, they hide themselves very deeply”

— How quickly was your daughter diagnosed?

— I have been making documentaries since 2006, and in 2008 I made a film about children with autism. Soon after this, Taisiya was born to me. Until she was two months old, I didn’t notice anything special, she’s the first child, I have no experience. But then I realized that she didn’t follow objects, didn’t concentrate her gaze, didn’t recognize me or her father, and didn’t pay attention to external stimuli. And my daughter was kind of lethargic. When she was two months old, she had an epileptic attack, we called an ambulance, and we were taken to the Morozov hospital. There they started using anticonvulsant therapy, but it didn’t help her—she had seizures almost every day. We tried a variety of treatment options, but Taisiya’s condition did not improve.

We didn't know what to do. My friend told me that Dr. Hans Holthausen lives in Germany, he was already at an advanced age, and now he is 90 years old. And Holthausen, seeing a photograph of my daughter, a video recording of her attack and reading a description of her condition, suggested that we do an analysis for the CDKL5 gene mutation. In Russia at that time such an analysis could not be done. We went to Munich, the diagnosis was confirmed. Taisiya’s father and I also took tests, but it turned out that we both did not have a mutation of this gene - doctors in Munich explained to us that the mutation was spontaneous. She's unpredictable. Now in the world, one in 40 thousand children is born with such a mutation.

Doctors then told us that these are very difficult children, they rarely live more than seven years, and they will not speak, walk, or stand. I didn't accept it. We broke up with Taisiya's father.

In Russia there is a famous doctor - Professor Konstantin Mukhin - who deals with epilepsy. We came to see him when Taisiya was one and a half years old. When he saw her, he immediately said that she was a very difficult child. But I still refused to believe it. And she continued to fight.

I sat on forums for days, read about some healers. I remember reading about a village grandmother who works miracles. Taisiya and I got into the car, drove for a day, arrived, and she looked at us and said: “Oh, but I’m only treating lichen.” We spent the night in some town and went back.

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The daughter is being observed at the Scientific and Practical Center in Solntsevo (Scientific and Practical Center for Specialized Medical Care for Children named after V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky.— “Kommersant”

), her attending physician, the head of the department of neurology and epileptology, offered us a course of hormone therapy, I agreed - this treatment gave Taisiya remission for six months, she began to develop, even tried to sit. There was no question of walking, but at least I noticed progress, and this gave me strength. Once I found out that in Ukraine there is a doctor who puts children with cerebral palsy on their feet, he had many such cases, I saw these videos, talked with parents who took their children to him. He has his own technique, he works gently with his hands, like an osteopath, but he doesn’t share it with anyone. Epilepsy is a contraindication for treatment, and I thought for a long time whether it was worth the risk, but in the end I decided. The course was expensive, I contacted Gosha Kutsenko’s “Life with Cerebral Palsy” foundation, and they helped us pay for treatment from this doctor. In our case, there was no deterioration in epilepsy, and our daughter was back on her feet after the first course. We went to see him five times, every six months. And after the fifth year she began to walk. It’s crooked, but it can walk.

Then we began to consolidate this effect - rehabilitation specialists are now working with her, Taisiya started skiing - with the project “Dream Skis” by Natasha Belogolovtseva. She has been skiing with a coach for four years now. She's not afraid, she likes it. And in the summer - rollerblading.

— That is, the doctors’ predictions did not come true.

- Yes. Perhaps also because the disease is new, little studied, and previously such children did not live to be seven years old, but now, with support and rehabilitation, the quality and life expectancy are changing.

- How old is your daughter?

- 12, she's a teenager. I think that the doctors who advised us in Munich had not yet seen older children with such a diagnosis at that time. But in recent years, I have also met adults with the CDKL5 mutation - one woman is 36 years old, the other is 40. Of course, a lot depends on the parents. When I started looking for international organizations specializing in our disease, I met families from different countries, associations in Germany, England, and the USA. And I saw that children and adults with our mutation are very different. There are those who walk, run, and play sports, like my Taisiya. They are few. There are those who say “mom”, “dad”, they are also few, there is even a special international group on Facebook for children with CDKL5 who speak. And only those whose children speak are allowed into this group. We also have several such children in Russia, I sent them to this group so that they would be in the community. This is important for parents.

Unfortunately, Taisiya does not speak, she is not mentally developed, she does not recognize me, she does not recognize her father. Such children live in their own world, they hide themselves very deeply. But she feels touch, warmth. Can react to them, smile.

She can show what she likes and what she doesn't. Sometimes she does something on purpose, that is, her character shows. But she doesn’t understand me, she doesn’t understand people.

-Have you learned to accept her illness?

“I didn’t accept for a long time, because I wanted a return from the child, but there was none. It is difficult for us to simply give without receiving anything in return. When she was five years old, I realized that the disease was incurable. And she accepted it. And she began to improve her daughter’s quality of life. She and I go to a speech therapist and a psychologist. She makes some additional sounds, but this is not speech. I bought her a device that is controlled using the eyes, and a person can say “yes or no,” “I want or I don’t want.” But this device did not help Taisiya communicate with the world. I have a friend from the German Association CDKL5, she has a daughter of the same age with the same disease, she does not walk, but communicates her desires with her eyes through the device. Different children, and the disease manifests itself in different ways.

— Until 2012, the CDKL5 mutation was considered one of the varieties of Rett syndrome, and then a separate code was created for it in the International Classification of Diseases. What is the difference between these two diseases?

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— Yes, initially all our children were considered to have atypical Rett syndrome. But in 2012, the CDKL5 mutation was identified as a separate disease. With Rett syndrome, the child develops in the most normal way, he can even walk and speak. But with the first attack of epilepsy, developmental delay and sharp degradation begin. In children with Rett syndrome, there is a constant rollback and loss of skills. In ours, with the CDKL5 mutation, at least millimeter changes are possible.

— Why did you decide to open an association in Russia? Could you just become part of some international organization?

— In 2021, I was in Rome at the World CDKL5 Mutation Forum. I was there alone from Russia. And then the Italians suggested to me: “You need to create an organization in Russia.” You see, this is important for the state - if you have such children, you do something to improve their lives. I say: “Yes, this takes so much effort, I don’t have time, I’m raising my daughter alone.” And then I returned to Russia, and somehow families suddenly started turning to me. Either the doctor will give me my phone number, or someone will write to me on Facebook.

I see there are already five, six, seven families. I realized that they needed support and help. Most often - moral support. This was the beginning of the journey. I created a group on Facebook, now there are about a hundred people there, both moms and dads. And we have a group on WhatsApp, there are 68 families - only this year we added 10. Our association has not yet been registered, we are planning to do so.

I have no Napoleonic plans. I just want to do something for children like my daughter.

We are not asking for anything supernatural. We want people to know about us. So that doctors in the regions know where to refer such a child. Because it must be immediately sent for genetic analysis, which is done at the Scientific and Production Center in Solntsevo, at the Research Institute of Pediatrics and in some private laboratories in Moscow. This analysis is paid, 30 thousand rubles. Often parents do not have that kind of money; they look for it through funds. Some people get help, some don't.

The Association of Parents Raising Children with the CDKL5 Mutation is very young; last year its members met for the first time in Moscow

Photo: courtesy of Maria Ivanova-Suraye

— Has diagnostics in Russia improved in recent years?

- Yes, I think I have improved noticeably. In Moscow and St. Petersburg they are already testing for our mutation. Some doctors from state scientific medical centers know about this mutation, geneticists know about it. Having identified a mutation, geneticists refer our children to neurologists, because every child with such a diagnosis has epilepsy. The attacks are different. Some have it every day, some have it once a month, some have long-term remission.

“When there was a lockdown in Europe, we shared medicine supplies with each other”

— How are children with a mutation in the CDKL5 gene treated?

“There is no cure for the mutation yet, but our children need drugs for epilepsy. And most of these drugs are not registered in Russia. We have to get them, often underground. Remember, one mother ordered freesium from abroad, and a case was opened against her? He is also against epilepsy. Our parents take risks every time. There is a federal fund “Circle of Good”, which we asked to help us with medicines, but they did not accept us into the fund because we have an incurable mutation, and they only accept those whose disease is being treated. Our mutation is a life-threatening, rare, incurable disease. But in our kingdom of tears there is a ray of hope - this is the international LouLou foundation, founded by the Jafar family, who also had a child with the CDKL5 mutation. This is a very rich Lebanese family - the husband, Majid Jafar, is from Iraq, the wife, Lynn - and they are paying for all the world's research in which scientists are trying to find a drug against this mutation, and are also developing new anti-epileptic drugs. 18 laboratories around the world operate with grants from this fund. We are also familiar with them, they hold international scientific forums, travel to them, and pay for travel and accommodation for families who want to attend these forums. We from our Association go there for free, they pay for tickets for the head of the association, the doctor, and when we flew to Boston, they also paid for the participation of our translator and two volunteers. We get the latest information from these forums, translate it and post it in the group, so our parents know what research is going on, what stage it is at, and so on.

— And at what stage are these studies?

“Several laboratories have now developed drugs against this mutation, one is already being tested on animals.

Our genetic scientists also want to participate in such research, they have great interest, we have powerful genetics, the world community is ready to give grants for such research in Russia, but for some reason such research is not welcomed in our country.

We are often told that government agencies do not have a foreign currency account and they simply cannot accept such grants.

— At what level do you encounter such concerns? At the federal one?

- No, rather at the level of the Moscow Department of Health, for some reason they are afraid to do joint research, they do not want our geneticists to receive grants, for example, from the Americans. Although the University of Pennsylvania and the LouLou Foundation provide annual grants for such research. But it would be great to work on this together.

— With the drugs that are already being created, will it be possible to cure children with a mutation of the CDKL5 gene?

Founder of the SMA Families charity foundation Olga Germanenko about the lives of patients

“I think young children definitely have a chance.” I can't say anything about our teenagers or adults. Most likely, the medicine will be effective for children, like any genetically engineered drugs in general. But all our families live in hope.

Previously, by the way, this mutation affected only girls: boys died immediately after birth. But then they began to survive, they lie, they have more disorders than girls, but they live. But the next generation of boys is different, some are already sitting and walking. So this mutation is also subject to some changes, as if adapting to a person.

- This is not a new mutation, has it always been there?

— It’s hard to say, but most likely, yes, it was there before. She just wasn't diagnosed. Previously, children with infantile epilepsy were diagnosed with epilepsy or cerebral palsy and the cause was not determined. Now the world is trying to identify the causes that lead to epilepsy. And one of these reasons is the CDKL5 mutation. Until you know the cause, it is impossible to treat epilepsy. There is epilepsy associated with birth trauma, and it can be cured. And there is epilepsy caused by genetic reasons - and here it is important to accept that it exists and will exist, but you can work on the frequency and duration of attacks, on their prevention. Because every attack is dangerous. At this moment the child does not breathe, loses consciousness, and brain cells die. The child may die. And such attacks slow down its development.

Our children have epilepsy not like what they show in the movies, when a person falls foaming at the mouth. For us, these attacks look different. The child freezes, his legs and arms turn to stone, he seems to be looking at one point, but he is unconscious, does not see anything, does not hear anything.

And all you can do is be close to the child, stroke him, talk. The attack may last a minute, maybe five minutes. Then the child himself comes out of this state and begins to breathe. But each such attack could be the last. It also happens that a continuous epistatus occurs and the child does not recover from the attack. Then he is put in intensive care. Children with our mutation die faster there. Therefore, it is very important to stop attacks and prevent ending up in intensive care.

- That is, the parent should not just wait until the attack passes, but give the child drugs?

— Yes, there are drugs - buccolam and sabril, they are not registered in Russia. They are vital for our children. Now many parents, having in hand a doctor’s opinion on the need for such a drug, go to court, win, and somewhere in the regions purchase Sabril specifically for a specific child. But many regions do not purchase; the family is told: “Oh, we don’t have money.” As a result, the family searches, buys it under the counter at a price of $300 per package, and at the same time still risks being subject to criminal prosecution every time. I believe that treatment of all rare diseases should be transferred to the federal level. Doctors and diagnostics for our children are still available only in federal centers; it would be easier to purchase medicines through the Federation.

— How did you buy these drugs during the pandemic?

“We're lucky to have this community.” Our families are very positive people, kind and open. And we help each other. When there was a lockdown in Europe, the group scraped together their scraps for those children whose supplies had run out. We shared our medicinal supplies with each other. I was looking for diazepam suppositories, which are not registered in Russia - they quickly relieve an epileptic attack. I would like Taisiya to be able to get out of this state herself. But just in case, I wanted to buy these candles so that they would be at home, and I would be calm: what if my daughter’s attack goes into epistatus, and the ambulance does not arrive quickly, and then these candles will help. Parents are ready to do anything to have such medicines. One mother from the Moscow region sent me this remedy.

I believe that our state should still take care of this. Yes, many say: the process has begun. Well, this process has been going on for a year and a half now. And neither sabril has yet been registered, nor buccolam, nor frisium, nor diazepam suppositories. We are still waiting.

Children with a CDKL5 gene mutation need medications that are not registered in Russia. This keeps their parents on edge and forcing them to look for ways to obtain drugs.

Photo: Archive of Maria Ivanova-Suraye

— In Russia there are no registered drugs at all that could reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures?

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— There is a drug ganaxalone - it was studied at the Pediatrics Research Institute, it showed a reduction in the number of attacks by 30%. And we expect it to appear on the Russian market this year. It is not yet known how much it will cost, how it will be prescribed. I hope that the process of purchasing medicines and issuing preferential prescriptions will not be difficult for parents. Nowadays, knocking out a recipe is quite a feat. I'm not even talking about the attitude: you come to the clinic, to the social security office - and it’s as if you immediately owe something to everyone there. There is no talk of any friendliness. But I would like to come to a place where they will help you, where they will protect you and tell you how to act correctly.

— You said that in your association there are 68 families raising children with the CDKL5 mutation. How many are there in Russia?

- Thousands. 68 is the number of identified, diagnosed children living in large cities who have found each other. There are millions of them in the world. If there is one case in 40 thousand, count how many there could be in Russia. And the number of children with this diagnosis is growing around the world.

— What is the oldest child with such a mutation currently living in Russia?

— In our association, such a child is 16 years old. And the youngest is six months old. Many families, by the way, give birth to other, healthy children. But women have a hard time deciding to do this; they need a psychologist. We ourselves in our community support these women, they experience great fear.

— Don’t they do prenatal screening?

- They do, and they also offer us to do this mutation. But not everyone is ready for such an intervention; it is a traumatic procedure.

“Social Security Departments are working to protect no one.”

— Do you think society’s attitude towards children and adults with disabilities is changing?

— Last year we held the first meeting of families raising children with the CDKL5 mutation in Russia. Families from 28 cities came to Moscow, and the LouLou Foundation helped us with tickets and hotels. Many came with other children, with fathers. I really liked that many people have complete families, their fathers do not abandon them, they help and give their wives a rest. And this year, on June 1, we are preparing a second such meeting, 145 people will come to it.

But it was very difficult to find a hotel for our event. The only hotel that agreed to accept our families was the Holiday Inn on Paveletskaya. We sent about 50 letters to different hotels, but they answered us: “We don’t have ramps,” “We are overcrowded.” In fact, this is not the reason, of course. It’s just that society is not yet ready to see children in serious condition, in wheelchairs.

How patients with rare diseases are treated in Russia

My daughter and I went to the pool on Mozhaisk Highway, she was given a time of 10 am on Sunday. Once she went with the nanny without me, they were late, and they weren’t allowed in because there were already other people there, and at her time there was no one in the pool. And this is in Moscow, where in general it is still more or less possible to live. For example, my daughter and I go to cafes and restaurants, I don’t hide it, and I don’t see negative attitudes in public places. Maybe something began to change after Natalia Vodianova began to talk about her sister, and other famous people - about their children. I see that attitudes are changing, but very slowly.

In the regions the situation is worse; the attitude towards our families, especially from social security officials, is bad.

We constantly fight for trips to sanatoriums for our families. Epilepsy is considered a contraindication for rehabilitation. Taisiya practices alpine skiing with me and sometimes wins medals. I believe that, for example, rehabilitation at the Paralympic in Crimea is indicated for her. But we never got there. This year they told us: “Perhaps you will go in June, but we will decide this in May.” No one thinks about the fact that we plan the summer in advance. And whether they give us this voucher or not will be decided by a commission that does not consist of doctors. It consists of officials. Why should an official, the deputy head of the district, decide whether my daughter is recommended for rehabilitation in this center or not?

According to the law, children with disabilities have the right to two rehabilitation vouchers per year, but no one tells the family about this. If they gave you one ticket, say “thank you.”

Some of our parents write that their children have never been to rehabilitation. Not even once in a sanatorium. Because they don't fight for their rights. They sit at home for ten years, don’t go anywhere, they are very modest, and no one tells them anything. Although they are supposed to go on vacation every year and twice a year for rehabilitation. And the social security officials are silent, as if they were saving their own pockets. Many people stand in line for years for vouchers to sanatoriums and do not get this opportunity.

— That is, the social security system does not work well.

- Yes. In general, I believe that social protection departments do not absolutely justify their name. They work to protect no one. Many families find it difficult to even get diapers, which they are required to be given, because they are prescribed in the IPR (individual rehabilitation program. — “Kommersant”

). Either they give you the wrong size or the quantity. You say: “The child has grown up, four diapers a day is not enough for her,” and they answer you: “We have a maximum of five.” These “maximum five” diapers are designed for a person from one year to 18 years. That is, it does not take into account that children are growing up. Or, for example, we have a rigid corset written down in the IPR, but the orthopedist prescribed a soft one for my daughter. And in order to get a soft corset at state expense, I need to go with the child to the medical commission again and make changes to the IRP. And the commission takes a lot of time. And, even if you sign up for a specific time, you still stand there for several hours. And with our children it is very difficult. That is, the whole system was created not to simplify our life, but to make it more difficult.

I came up with the project “Cherry City” - this is a mini-city where there is a hotel, a restaurant, apartments, a scientific medical center, a rehabilitation center for children with disabilities, a cinema for everyone, a swimming pool for everyone, a general school, a general kindergarten, a university, workshops, garden of sensations. That is, an inclusive place where everyone feels comfortable. After all, our children have practically nowhere to go. They have no rehabilitation, no employment, even in Moscow there are no full-fledged workshops so that everything would be in one place, where a wide variety of children with disabilities could be integrated. There is one in Pskov, but not in Moscow. I found an architect and they helped me make a presentation.

We wanted this “Cherry City” to be somewhere in the center, within walking distance from the metro. I sent the presentation to the mayor of Moscow, he sent it down to the social protection department. I was invited to see some mid-level official, and she, without even looking at this presentation, asked: “Are you sure that the city needs this project?” Well, how can I answer this question? Instead of monitoring the problems of families raising children with disabilities, studying statistics, finding out how many children and adults with disabilities are locked at home, these officials ask me rhetorical questions. In general, the dialogue did not work out. Then they told me: “You go from the bottom up, you won’t succeed. We have to go from top to bottom.” That is, there are no other ways besides the “Direct Line” with the president.

“I once set a goal - to improve the quality of her life, and that’s what I’m going for.”

— You work, while raising a child alone. How do you do this?

— There are two nannies with my daughter. I’m working a lot now, I have my own film company, I recently made my directorial debut in feature films, filming took three months in Lebanon. Of course, I couldn’t have done it without nannies.

— Is it difficult to find a nanny for children with such special needs?

— I found one nanny through a private resource, she worked with children with autism in Saratov, and I’ve had her for three years. The second nanny from Ukraine is a cook by profession - an excellent, kind woman. I had to teach them myself, show them a video about what epilepsy is and what to do in case of a seizure.

— Can they give Taisiya medicine if she has an attack?

“They can, but now you just need to hug her and wait for the attack to pass.” Taisiya herself knows how to get out of this state. But in extreme cases, there are instructions that nannies know.

— You said that your daughter does not understand speech addressed to her. How is Taisiya’s training going?

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- At the level of reflexes. She has been training with a coach for three years, twice a week, the coach holds her hand, positions her feet, and that’s how she learned to ski. Behavioral therapy works well with our children. For example, Taisiya loves cheese. They teach her that you will get the cheese when you take the spoon yourself. She has been doing this kind of work for several years now; she knows how to hold a spoon, eat herself, and drink from a mug. Maybe wipe the table, she was taught. But she can't help herself.

— Do teachers come to your home?

— Yes, we have seven teachers. And three times a week Taisiya goes to a special school, she is there from 10 to 15 hours, at her school she has physical therapy, a swimming pool, a psychologist, a speech therapist, music, and art therapy. There are sensory rooms and group classes. I’m very glad that she somehow interacts with other children there—maybe she can take a boy by the hand. She's not alone there. I once set a goal to improve the quality of her life, and that’s what I’m going for. It all costs a lot, I have to work a lot. But I'm trying. And I consider myself lucky - I have the opportunity to provide my child with what he needs. Many parents do not have this opportunity.

— Besides rehabilitation and registered medications, what else do families raising children with this diagnosis lack?

— Parents lack a free psychologist—both moms and dads. Many parents would like to work, but they do not have the opportunity to hire a nanny, and nannies must be trained; not every person can be entrusted with a child with severe disabilities. So we want there to be projects in Moscow and the regions that would train nannies and provide them to families free of charge. There are such private projects in Moscow, but I believe that there should be a state project, because it is a big expense. This kind of targeted help is really needed for families with difficult children. There are single mothers raising difficult children, they cannot work, they cannot hire nannies, they are in a difficult situation. If you give such a mother a nanny, she will go to work. And someone needs to be helped to find a job, and this is also the task of the state, which must protect all its citizens.

Paresis

Paresis can be observed in only one limb, being unilateral, or cover all limbs. There is a violation of pronunciation speech (dysarthria). If the pathology is accompanied by paresis of the muscles of the larynx and pharynx, then difficulties arise when swallowing (dysphagia). Often, cerebral palsy is accompanied by a significant increase in muscle tone, and skeletal deformations typical for this disease are formed (chest deformities, scoliosis). Cerebral palsy occurs with the formation of joint contractures, which aggravates movement disorders. This leads to the development of chronic pain in the neck, shoulders, back and legs.

With cerebral palsy, strabismus, disruption of the digestive system, respiratory disorders, and urinary incontinence may occur. In approximately 20-40% of cases, the disease occurs with epilepsy. About 60% of such children have problems with vision and hearing. Complete deafness or hearing loss is possible. In half of the cases, the disease is combined with endocrine pathology and is accompanied by various stages of mental retardation, mental retardation, perception disorders, learning disabilities, behavioral abnormalities, etc. However, about 35% of children have normal intelligence.

19-year-old resident of Astrakhan Sergei Kuzmin wrote the story of his growing up. It turned out to be a real diary about how self-awareness changes in a person who is constantly told by society that he is “abnormal.”

Photo from personal archive

1. Childhood

My name is Sergey, I recently turned 19 years old. I was born diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

When I was little, I walked very poorly, but at that time I didn’t really care. I was an ordinary child. Having fun and fooling around with my brothers and sisters. I have a large family: my parents have five children.

When I was 8 years old, I went to school. My older sister, who was always something of a mentor, prepared me for this: she taught me to write letters, read a little and count. But due to the diagnosis of cerebral palsy, I was assigned to a correctional class. My parents didn’t try to argue, not knowing what I was capable of.

In our class there were only two desks and three people. They taught us individually, and the training program repeated itself year after year. In mathematics, the number of zeros in the examples increased, in Russian lessons the volume of texts grew, but the vocabulary was scarce and primitive. It was too easy for me. However, I failed the commission for transfer to a general education class - I was worried.

1. Baggage of knowledge

I got straight A's, completed assignments faster, read better than others, and, in general, had knowledge an order of magnitude higher than my classmates. As it turned out later, our entire correctional education program included the information that ordinary schoolchildren receive from the first to the sixth grade. Finishing the 9th grade of correction, we completed the sixth grade of general education school. And with this baggage they went into life.

Even in the first years at school, I lost interest both in the learning process itself and in communicating with classmates. I was interested in the guys from general education classes. They discussed comics, video games, advised which movie to watch, what to read, and I was drawn to be friends with them.

The main thing is that among them I did not feel disabled. No one asked about the disease, no one looked at me in any special way, and I thought the rest of the world was the same.

1. Amusement park

On my tenth birthday, my father took my younger brother and sister and me to an amusement park. We had fun, rode the Ferris wheel and small cars. My sister noticed the trampoline and rushed there screaming. My younger brother and I followed: we climbed on it and began to jump. I wasn’t very good at jumping, which attracted the attention of many adults and children. I remember how everyone looked at me with their mouths open, as if they had seen a mummy. And suddenly a boy from the crowd shouted: “Mom, look, this boy’s leg is broken!” - and laughed.

The boy was scolded and told not to pay attention to me. But it bothered me, I got off the trampoline and sat on the bench. Feeling that I was somehow different, I never climbed on a trampoline again and avoided all moving attractions. I began to wonder if I was normal?

1. Bike

I asked my parents for a long time to buy me a two-wheeler. Mom had doubts, afraid that I would fall and, God forbid, break something for myself. Offered different three-wheeled options. Well, I flatly refused to even think about it. I considered myself normal. I was confident that I could ride, and no falls would stop me. The father did not give any special comments on this matter.

And then one day, on my 11th birthday, I was given a two-wheeled bicycle. There was one “but”: it had auxiliary wheels that prevented it from falling. I immediately realized that this was my mother’s initiative.

We have a large family, so for that birthday they bought a bicycle not only for me, but also for my younger brother and sister. My younger brother, who was absolutely healthy, did not have auxiliary wheels, and this really annoyed me. But there was nowhere to go... I wanted to ride.

I rode with the assistance wheels for over a month. Then he couldn’t stand it, he asked his brother to find a wrench and turned them around. That's when my first fall happened. I tried again and again, but I just couldn’t get the ride right. We rode in the courtyard of the house while my mother was cooking, so she couldn’t see what we were doing.

When it started to get dark, we had to return home to see my mother. Seeing me dirty, covered in scratches and abrasions, my mother immediately asked what happened. I answered: “I fell.” Through the window she looked at my bicycle. There were no auxiliary wheels. “Unscrewed it, parasite...” Mom was silent. “Well, now ride as you want.” I smiled, hugged my mother and ran to get myself ready.

1. Flight

Another couple of weeks passed, and I still couldn’t learn to ride. My brother's advice didn't help. I realized that I was still different from everyone else, and I needed to come up with something of my own. I remember sitting in front of my bike in the courtyard of the house and the idea came to me how to learn how to maintain balance - to use the bike as a scooter. Push off the ground with your feet and roll by inertia.

After several attempts it started to work out, getting better and better each time. But I couldn’t ride fully, I couldn’t ride continuously, and I didn’t even understand why. I began to lose faith that I would actually learn to ride a bike.

Father came to the rescue. He brought my brother and sister and me to the embankment, where the road is flat and there is a lot of space for skating - something like this cannot be found near our house. Having arrived at the place, the father unloaded the cyclists - the brother and sister immediately sped off in their transport.

Having taken out my bicycle, dad reached for the auxiliary wheels, then stopped, turned in my direction and asked: “Should I screw it on?” I scrunched up my face and shook my head. My father smiled, sat me on a two-wheeled bike and gave me a powerful push. The inertia was very strong, I could not achieve this on my own.

But I was not confused and began to pedal. At that moment I felt freedom! As if he had spread his wings. I rode all day and wasn’t tired at all; I wanted to stay in this state more. If you asked me about the main events in my life, the first would be cycling.

1. Operation

My parents are hard of hearing, and it has always been difficult for them to contact the outside world. From an early age I learned to communicate with my mom and dad using sign language, and by the age of 13 I had mastered it quite well. I often acted as a translator for parents—not an easy task, given that the hearing impaired think differently. But over time I got used to it.

I knew that my condition could worsen with age - medical workers warned my parents about this, and I translated. It was impossible to cure me completely, it was only possible to alleviate the situation.

At the age of 13, I began to notice that I was starting to walk worse and get tired quickly. Mom sounded the alarm and sent me for surgery.

The first operation was successful: they straightened my leg bones, and then sent me to a sanatorium for a rehabilitation course. I stayed there for four months. During treatment, I thought a lot about my future life: will it happen that I will be able to walk normally? I was thinking about what sport to take up. It would seem that an ordinary person has so many opportunities!

However, after therapy, they found another problem with me: my knees did not extend to their full strength, because of this I could not stand straight, much less walk. As they later explained to us, this defect was present from birth. I constantly walked half-bent.

My parents began to prepare me for a new operation to correct the defect in my knees. But while I was undergoing a medical examination, the department where the treatment was supposed to take place was disbanded, we were not provided with alternatives - and I was left with nothing. I tried to find the doctor who operated on me on my own, but was unsuccessful. We managed to find out where that doctor worked three years later, when it was already too late: the previous treatment did not take hold and we returned to where we started.

1. Online

The cancellation of the operation left me in despair. How will I go to school now? How to walk? At first, I just sat at home at the computer and communicated with the world only online.

Trying to somehow get away from my worries, I started playing computer games. In general, technology has always interested me. As a child, I could spend hours watching my older brother tinker with our first computer - he had a knack for electronics and was always making things. With the advent of a second computer, my brother and I began to install additional patches together, archive, and write codes in games and programs.

In childhood, there is more fearlessness and self-confidence; you want to try everything. The older you are, the more skepticism there is.

Before the operation, I thought that I wanted to become a programmer. But in order to make add-ons for games, the computer power was not enough, and money was needed to promote the created sites, so I gradually curtailed the ideas.

While I was recovering, I became interested in e-sports: it turns out that for winnings online you can get a pretty good prize in real money. After months of training alone, I ended up on a team of teenagers doing the same thing, and we competed together in an eSports tournament. However, I had to give up this too: training took a lot of time, and I had to go back to school.

At school I was greeted with questions and discussions about what happened to me. Gradually I got used to it.

Photo from personal archive

1. Lenka

“Getting used to it” is probably not the right word. I was depressed. I was still just torn that I had lost even more than I had before the surgery. I lost the ability to move independently on the street, although this had not worked out very well before. And the saddest thing is that I had to use a wheelchair on the street, which I had previously avoided in every possible way.

At the end of the school year - it was 8th grade - we were informed about the upcoming merger with another school. All summer I tormented myself with thoughts about what it would be like there, what kind of people I would meet. But when I returned to school in September, I didn’t want to make new acquaintances, and after school I tried to go home as soon as possible.

One day after class, a student from a parallel class came up to me to meet me. Lenka. She studied according to the general education program. Amazing, cheerful, energetic, smiled often. In a word - not like me. I was amazed that she didn’t ask about what happened to me, why I was walking so poorly. She just wanted to communicate with me.

We found a common language very quickly. I helped her with her homework, we chatted a lot on social networks. Then we started going for walks - she was able to distract me from my problems. She pointed out not what I had lost, but what I could, forced me to go somewhere with her, or do something that I would never have done without her. She saw me as an ordinary person. I found that I stopped worrying about what I had lost. I just wanted to walk and enjoy life.

1. Surprise

Lenka's birthday was approaching - July 8 - and I was thinking about what gift to give her. I wanted to present something special so that she would remember. I rejected one idea after another, until Lenka said that she really loved going to the movies. I came up with a surprise; I just had to negotiate with the cinema staff, which was not difficult - they turned out to be responsive.

On Lenka's birthday we went to the cinema. We were sitting in the hall, chatting, eating ice cream, and then the lights went out. Suddenly the inscription lit up on the screen: “Dedicated to the most beautiful girl.” Everyone in the room perked up. A second later Lenka herself appeared on the screen - I made a short video about her. Her eyes lit up so much. I've never seen anything like this. It was worth everything.

1. Be an adult

A lot has happened since then. And bam - and I became an adult. Relatively, for adults, of course.

In November 2016, I had surgery to straighten my knees - the one I didn’t have time to do at 14 years old. I spent a month in a cast, and then, theoretically, I should have started walking. Instead, neuropathic and then spastic pains came, I could not sleep, my legs twitched and did not want to straighten. It was impossible to get up. Now doctors say that I am a wheelchair patient.

The last time I rode a bicycle was at Lenka’s birthday – July 8 last year. Now my health doesn't allow it. If you asked me about the main events in my life, the second would be that birthday.

Being an adult means having responsibility for your actions, for the decisions you make. Don’t live in illusions, choose based on your capabilities. Childhood is simpler.

Here is a tiny moment from my childhood life.

We return home, it’s cold in the car, it’s February outside. It's frosty, but there's no snow. The snow had melted long ago, leaving only small puddles along the edges of the road. We drive slowly, the streetlights illuminate the road with yellow-orange light. The father silently and carefully drives the car, looking in the rearview mirrors, as if expecting some unpredictable situation. It's quiet outside. The road is smooth. I want to go and go.

This is freedom: you can ride for yourself without thinking about tomorrow. About your obligations and promises. It would be nice to just pick up and leave this stuffy life to some unknown destination with good music. My father interrupts his thoughts by placing his hand on my shoulder. - How did you go to the cinema? Was there enough money?

Before my eyes... Lenka, sitting on the left side of me, is enthusiastically watching a movie. I can't take my eyes off her silhouette, her white hair covering almost her entire cheek. She's beautiful. From time to time her gaze seems to notice mine, but Lenka is embarrassed to turn around and continues to watch the movie. Tired of sitting in one position, she turns away slightly, placing her hand on the armrest. I'm afraid that she will turn and ask some question, and I also turn away. - Yes, everything is fine...

My father looks at me again, as if trying to make sure I'm telling the truth. Continues driving.

This is happiness. Mom is waiting at home; she has probably prepared something delicious. He will ask cheerfully: “Well, how was your walk?” I smile shyly in advance and silently look at the road ahead of us.

Non-progressive disease

It is a chronic but not progressive disease. As children grow and the nervous system develops, previously hidden pathological manifestations may be revealed, creating a false sense of disease progression.

People with cerebral palsy undergo lifelong treatment. They perform a variety of physical procedures, massages, and rehabilitation complexes. If necessary, if a person cannot move independently, he can use a wheelchair. If, due to the complexity of the disease, he cannot control it, relatives provide assistance.

The age to which children with cerebral palsy live depends on many factors.

average life expectancy

It is quite difficult to say unequivocally how many years or decades a child with cerebral palsy can live. Much will depend on how severe the disease is, as well as on the quality of treatment. It has been proven that by the age of 40, patients' life expectancy decreases. The body wears out much faster due to the fact that there is deformation of the internal organs and the musculoskeletal system.

It is worth noting that thanks to modern medicine, children with cerebral palsy can live to a ripe old age. At the same time, they can count on a normal life if rehabilitation is carried out correctly and their health is regularly maintained at a normal level. It is important to take into account that people with cerebral palsy age faster than others, and this affects both their appearance and well-being. Therefore, it is important to prepare a person for this.

As for severe forms of the disease, in this situation you will definitely need to contact good doctors. In such a situation, it will be possible to extend the life of the child and improve his health.

No one can say for sure how long a particular person will live. In all cases, individual characteristics, quality of therapy, and severity of the disease play an important role. In any case, it is important to undergo high-quality treatment using expensive drugs. In this situation, you can count on the child to live as long as possible.

Complications of cerebral palsy

Among the main and most common complications of cerebral palsy the following may be noted:

1. Orthopedic and surgical complications: developmental disorders of the hip joints, curvature of the knee joints, forearms and feet.
2. Epileptic syndrome, which manifests itself as seizures, is especially common in the hemiparetic form of cerebral palsy. Convulsions aggravate the course of the disease, cause some difficulties with rehabilitation and pose a great danger to life. In patients with cerebral palsy, various forms of epilepsy occur, both benign with a positive prognosis and extremely severe.
3. Cognitive disorders, which include disorders of memory, intelligence, attention and speech. The main speech disorders in cerebral palsy are stuttering, pronunciation disorders (dysarthria), lack of speech in cases of preserved hearing and intelligence (alalia), and inhibition of speech development. Speech and movement disorders are interconnected, therefore each form of pathological condition is characterized by specific changes in speech.

Epileptic activity during rehabilitation of cerebral palsy.

Epileptic activity during rehabilitation of cerebral palsy.

IT IS POSSIBLE OR IT IS NOT possible – shared the chief physician of the Adeli-Penza FC, L.N. Vakhrusheva.

If your child has epi-activity, you should not fall into despair. With proper supervision by doctors, a number of rehabilitation procedures can be used.

Of course, opinions on this matter vary. Therefore, let's talk a little about this topic.

The main limitations for carrying out rehabilitation measures in children with cerebral palsy are the presence of acute concomitant diseases or exacerbation of chronic pathological processes that occur with dysfunction of organs and systems, the presence of orthopedic complications of the underlying disease (osteoporosis, secondary skeletal deformities requiring immobilization or surgical treatment), the presence of symptomatic epilepsy or severe behavioral and emotional disturbances.

If epileptic seizures or specific epileptic activity are detected on the EEG in a child with cerebral palsy, the frequency of dynamic EEG increases to once every 3–6 months, and the view on the rehabilitation program, including physical therapy, is revised.

In children with epilepsy, electrical procedures, photo procedures, general thermal procedures and active massage are excluded, and any stimulating effects by physical factors are significantly limited.

Non-epileptogenic rehabilitation physiotherapeutic methods are: - therapeutic exercises; — Vojta therapy; — Bobath therapy; — PNF; — classes on the “Grossa”, “Ugul”, “Spider”, “Ekzarta” simulators; — classes on the plantar walking simulator “Corvit”; — use of biofeedback (biofeedback); - Bioacoustic correction of the brain (BAC) - EEG conclusion data are taken into account when choosing program settings; - non-aggressive acupuncture; — passive hydrotherapy; — local balneotherapy; — magnetic therapy in soft mode; - local thermotherapy and climatotherapy, which, with rational dosage, can be used in this category of patients

The presence of epilepsy should in no case be a reason to stop rehabilitation treatment, however, a frivolous attitude towards identified changes is also unacceptable, therefore rehabilitation treatment for children with epilepsy should be carried out after achieving seizure control with the help of antiepileptic drugs.

Against the background of effective antiepileptic therapy carried out in an adequate dosage regimen, upon achieving remission lasting 3 months, the scope of rehabilitation can gradually be expanded.

When carrying out rehabilitation procedures, constant monitoring by a doctor is required. You need to exercise, but carefully.

Pediatrician. Rehabilitologist. Exercise therapy and sports medicine. Vakhrusheva L.N.

How long do people with cerebral palsy live?

In the vast majority of cases, it is extremely difficult to determine how long people with this disease live, since this severe pathology can occur with damage to different body systems. In certain cases, with adequate treatment, a person with cerebral palsy lives a long and fulfilling life, with virtually no special health problems. In severe cases, a child with such a developmental disorder may die within several years. Cerebral palsy is a collective concept for a whole set of movement disorder syndromes observed as a result of pathologies of intrauterine development, which led to damage to brain structures.

If we talk about how long people with cerebral palsy live in a wheelchair, then we should pay attention to the problem of premature aging of patients. This is a rather thorny issue with such an illness. Science has proven that by about 40 years of age, people are susceptible to a decrease in life expectancy. The physical body of people suffering from cerebral palsy wears out much faster, which is due to deformation of internal organs, bones and joints. In addition, the body wears out as a result of taking numerous medications, including those to eliminate pain, which are prescribed to patients with cerebral palsy throughout their lives. Outwardly, patients with cerebral palsy look much older than their biological age. If at the same time they were not given proper attention, development and rehabilitation from birth, then many organs and body systems of such people, for example, respiratory and cardiovascular, may remain underdeveloped. So they work for wear and tear, which also affects the age to which people with cerebral palsy live.

Another important factor that directly affects life is the type, complexity and course of the disease itself, and the presence of complications. With severe forms of the disease and the constant occurrence of epileptic seizures, the life expectancy of people with cerebral palsy cannot be average.

Often, with proper and timely therapy and all necessary procedures to improve their general condition, patients with cerebral palsy live to be 30-40 years old, and sometimes to retirement age.

Cerebral paralysis

Cerebral palsy is an all-encompassing term for a group of chronic conditions characterized by disturbances in the central control of movement and poor posture of the body and limbs due to developmental disorders or damage to the brain. The disease manifests itself in the first few years of life.

Disease symptoms that affect the life expectancy of people with cerebral palsy include a wide range of impairments, often comorbid with other health problems and mental health problems. According to statistics, almost 50% of all children with pathology have epileptic seizures associated with impaired consciousness, body spasms, etc.

Children with moderate and severe cerebral palsy often lag behind in physical growth and development compared to their peers, and suffer from visual and hearing impairments. A large percentage of children have problems with spatial vision, which is necessary, for example, to judge distance.

Sometimes vision is lost forever, or the perception of touch or pain is impaired.

The next factor that influences how long children with cerebral palsy live is the form of the disease.

The most common form is spastic diplegia, affecting up to 85% of children diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Affected muscles tend to become tense and stiff. Patients experience reflexes that are absent in a healthy person. The degree of the spastic type of the disease is determined by the extent of the lesion (unilateral or bilateral).

When one side is affected, we are talking about the hemiparetic form. Usually the upper limbs are more affected than the lower limbs, so patients can walk, and their psychological development is usually normal.

If all limbs are affected, tetraparesis is diagnosed. Impairments in this type of disease can be moderate (patients can stand and walk) or severe (normal movement is impossible). Often severe disability is associated with delayed psychomotor development and intellectual disorders. Often there are other diseases associated with impaired brain activity (epilepsy, hydrocephalus, microcephaly, etc.).

The dyskinetic form occurs in approximately 15% of patients. Its main feature is the inability to purposefully move or achieve a target position. The muscles alternate between tension and relaxation, and involuntary movements occur. Patients are unable to control the body, which interferes with normal activities (sometimes it is difficult for a person to even eat). Often this type of lesion is associated with hearing impairment.

A rare form of the disease is the ataxic (cerebellar) type. The disease is characterized by imbalance and inability to make small movements of the limbs. Patients have problems with movement and walking; mental retardation is a major complication.

The fourth form is a combination of the previous types, most often spastic and dyskinetic.

Cerebral palsy is not an infectious or hereditary disease. It can be congenital - present already at the time of birth due to infection during pregnancy, Rh incompatibility, stroke, etc. These factors affect the baby in the womb. The next reason is the acquisition of the disease as a result of brain damage in the first few months or years of life. Brain damage can be caused by a brain infection, TBI at birth, a fall, or, unfortunately, child abuse.

The causes responsible for the development of cerebral palsy are divided into prenatal, perinatal and postnatal. Factors that cause the disease are also criteria that determine how many years people with cerebral palsy live.

Prenatal causes (before birth):

• Infections of the expectant mother during pregnancy - toxoplasmosis, rubella, HIV, herpetic infections. These pathologies often lead to premature birth.
• Anomalies of brain development.
• Maternal thyroid disorders during pregnancy.
• Impaired development of the fetus in the uterus - especially in the case of maternal hypertension or malnutrition, with a lack of nutrients necessary for the developing child.
• Fetal intoxication - excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy, drug use.
• Bleeding in the brain - This problem most often occurs in premature infants because their brains do not have sufficiently developed mechanisms to protect themselves during times of stress.
• Hypoxic-ischemic brain damage is the most common cause of cerebral palsy today. Hypoxic injury is a lack of oxygen in the uterus necessary for the fetus. The brain is the most sensitive to oxygen deficiency; This deficiency results in ischemia or irreparable damage.

Perinatal causes (during childbirth):

• prolonged labor;
• asphyxia of the newborn;
• inflammation of the membranes at the end of pregnancy.

Postnatal causes (postpartum period):

• congenital heart defects, the manifestation of which is insufficient blood supply to the brain;
• intoxication;
• cerebrovascular infections.