Cerebral palsy is one of the most common and severe motor disabilities of childhood, since, in most cases, it makes children unable to care about themselves independently in adulthood. At the same time, CP has virtually no treatment because the aetiology of this disease is complex and understudied, although some measures can prevent the development of the disease. Korzeniewski et al. in “The complex aetiology of cerebral palsy” examines the aetiology of cerebral palsy, the possibility of its early diagnosis and prevention to highlight the features of CP, and directions for future research.
The authors begin their research by analyzing cerebral palsy prevalence. Korzeniewski et al. (2018) notice that while a few high-income countries report reductions in morbidity, there is also an opposite tendency in other countries. However, the change in prevalence can be associated with both a higher survival rate of preterm infants and the use of preventing measures against the development of neurological diseases (Korzeniewski et al., 2018).
For a review of the main etiological factors, the authors discuss physical trauma and birth asphyxia as the leading cause of CP. Nevertheless, Korzeniewski et al. (2018) conclude that the data are insufficient to argue that birth complications are central to PC emergence. The authors also consider such possible causes of CP as gestational age, preconception, multiple childbirth, maternal pre-eclampsia, infections, kernicterus, and perinatal stroke. Korzeniewski et al. (2018) provide various arguments and statistics that confirm the connection between some factors, for example, maternal pre-eclampsia and CP, but note that the complexity of the aetiology does not allow making accurate and absolute conclusions (Korzeniewski et. al, 2018). Thus, determining the causes of CP requires a more profound and large-scale study.
In the second part, the authors analyze the available methods for the early diagnosis and CP prevention. The main finding of early prevention analysis is that the optimal age for diagnosing is controversial. While some studies demonstrate that the first signs can be found in the first weeks or years of a child’s life, others show that many children “outgrow” motor problems ( Korzeniewski et al., 2018).
However, the authors review several effective and promising CP prevention treatments that are already being used by clinicians or are being investigated. Applying magnesium sulfate to treat maternal pre-eclampsia and lowering the newborn’s body and head temperature by 2 ° C for 48 hours show efficacy in clinical use. Simultaneously, caffeine, melatonin, erythropoietin treatments, and stem cell therapies also have a positive impact, but their effects are still being studied (Korzeniewski et al., 2018). In conclusion, the authors describe the complexity of CP’s epidemiology and suggest further research to investigate its etiology but focus on standardized data collection and current and archived biological samples. This approach will allow scientists to systematize knowledge and find patterns for determining factors of cerebral palsy.
Therefore, the authors of the article examined all the key issues essential for understanding and treating cerebral palsy. Despite a variety of useful facts and statistics, the study shows that there is still limited knowledge among scientists and medical professionals about CP. Consequently, it is crucial for medical professionals to contribute to the study of the disease aetiology and use available treatments and preventive measures.
Reference
Korzeniewski, S.J., Slaughter, J., Lenski, M., Haak, P. & Paneth, N. (2018). The complex aetiology of cerebral palsy. Nature Review Neurology, 14, 528–543. Web.