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Causes of Cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the brain or poor development of the brain.

Around 1 in 10 cases of cerebral palsy are caused by problems during labour and birth. The baby’s brain can be damaged due to lack of oxygen. Without oxygen, parts of the brain die. However, this is far less common than used to be thought. Problems in brain development can happen before and after birth, as well as during.

In around 1 in 50 cases, the cause is a defective gene, part of the genetic code that is transmitted from the baby’s parents.

Cerebral palsy can also be caused by infections that affect the brain when the child is very young and the brain is still developing. These infections include meningitis and encephalitis. They cause part of the brain to swell, again resulting in a lack of oxygen getting through, and the death of brain tissues.

Other factors increase the risk of cerebral palsy, including smoking or drinking excess alcohol during pregnancy, infections caught during pregnancy, complications during childbirth, and premature birth.

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