Cerebral palsy in infants is a form of brain nerve disorder that makes the sufferer difficult to move. Suffering from this condition makes the baby experience a variety of movement disorders and coordination of the body, one of which is not able to move part of the body.
There are several factors that can increase the risk of a baby in CP, namely:
Born
Lack of oxygen in the brain, e.g. due to asphyxia or severe breathing disorders.
Exposed to infections during the womb, e.g. due to rubella disease, herpes, toxoplasmosis, and otic infections.
Exposed to meningitis after birth.
Has low Apgar value at birth.
Bleeding in the brain.
Injury to the head, e.g. due to falling or use of forceps or vacuum at birth.
Has a genetic disorder.
It experiences stroke or inhibitions of blood flow to the brain.
A baby or child should be suspected of having cerebral palsy when it has one or more of the above risk factors and experiencing a complaint or symptom that leads to this disease.
Here's the symptoms of Cerebral Palsy in infants
The symptoms of cerebral palsy in infants can be seen since it is only a few months old. However, this condition is often the unconscious of parents. Most cases of new cerebral palsy are detected when the baby is 1 or 2 years old. Even these conditions are newly diagnosed in older children.
In general, there are several signs and symptoms that indicate that infants suffer from cerebral palsy, namely:
Disturbance of growing flowers, for example babies can not roll, crawl, sit, and walk.
There is a body part that is too stout or stiff.
Infants use only one side of the body in activity. For example, when crawling, he supports his body only with the right hand and foot.
Breathing difficulty.
Often have seizures.
Impaired vision or hearing.
Can not talk or late talk.
You can also recognize the signs of cerebral palsy specifically based on the age of the baby.
In infants less than 6 months old, cerebral palsy is usually characterized by:
Can not lift the head when lifted or will be carried.
One part of her body felt stiff or limthing.
When lifted, his legs crossed or stiff.
When it is carried, it acts as uncomfortable and tries to move away from you.
While in infants aged 6 months or older, cerebral palsy can be recognized with the emergence of symptoms in the form of:
Babies do not roll in any direction.
He struggled to unite his hands.
His hand was not able to reach his mouth.
He reached something with only one hand, while the other hand only clened.
Then in infants over 10 months old, you need to suspect that he suffers from cerebral palsy if:
The crawl is skewed using only one hand and one foot, while the other hands and feet are dragged as inmovable.
Peot using his thighs or legs.
It cannot stand even if it is holding or resting on an object.
Not only that, brain abnormalities experienced by cerebral palsy can also cause other health problems, such as tremor, stiff body, limp muscles, or impaired body coordination.
The signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy are not always the same on every baby that is experiencing it. It depends on which part of the brain is experiencing damage. This condition is also often similar to some other diseases.
Therefore, if the infant or child shows some of the above signs and symptoms, you should consult the doctor to make sure the cause.
Is Cerebral Palsy curable?
Cerebral palsy is a condition that will be lived for a lifetime. Until now has not found a treatment method that can cure this condition completely. However, there are several methods of treatment that can be done to relieve symptoms and support that the baby can grow and develop in the best possible.
The main therapeutic objectives in cerebral palsy are also more focused on helping infants or children experiencing this condition to be able to perform activities independently, such as grasping objects, crawling, sitting, and walking.
To determine whether the baby is experiencing cerebral palsy or not, a pediatrician should be carried out first. In determining the diagnosis, the doctor will conduct a physical examination in infants or children, inquire about the pregnancy history, and determine if there are certain health problems in the infant after he/she is born.
The doctor will also conduct a growth evaluation and support examination, such as blood tests, electroencephalgraphy (EEG), as well as brain treatment with a CT scan, MRI, or ULTRASOUND head.
If the results of a doctor's examination indicates that infants are experiencing cerebral palsy, then the doctor may suggest some treatment steps, namely:
Physiotherapy
There are several types of physical therapy (physiotherapy) that can be applied to help babies adapt to their condition. The doctor will determine the type of physiotherapist and the specific training techniques that the baby needs with this condition according to which part of the body is affected by cerebral palsy.
The main objective of this therapy is to increase muscle strength, balance and coordination of movements, and control the baby's motion. That way, infants are expected to do normal activities, such as lifting heads, rolling, and grasping.
Speech therapy.
This therapy is actually more aimed at children with cerebral palsy who have difficulties in communicating and speaking. In infants, this speech therapy can be done to train the muscle strength of the mouth and jaws, so as to improve the ability of speech later.
Evaluation of growing flowers
It is one of the important components in the handling of cerebral palsy. The goal is to assess whether there is a problem in growing the baby and provide treatment as early as possible so that the baby can grow and develop normally.
Drugs
The administration of drugs here is not to cure cerebral palsy, but rather to address the disturbing complaints.
For example, if there is stiff muscles so that the baby is difficult to move or undergo physical therapy or speech therapy, then the doctor can give muscle pelemas, such as diazepam, baclofen, and onabotulinumtoxin injections (Botox). When cerebral palsy makes the patient often experience seizures, the doctor may provide anticonvulsive medications.
In addition to medications and therapies, cerebral palsy symptoms can also be alleviated with surgery. Usually this method is done when other treatments are not effective or complications occur, such as a contracture or formation of scarring that makes muscle movement so limited, or abnormal bone growth.
In addition to the above medical treatment, the emotional support and encouragement or stimulus of growing good interest from people is also a very important step in the handling of babies with cerebral palsy.
With proper handling and good support from families, infants and children suffering from cerebral palsy have a high chance of being able to grow and develop normally, although they still have limitations. In most cases, people with cerebral palsy should use AIDS, such as wheelchairs, for the rest of their life.
Therefore, if there is a sign of symptoms indicating the child or infant experiencing cerebral palsy, immediately take it to the pediatrician to obtain proper examination and treatment.
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