What is Cerebral Palsy and how can one prevent it?

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affects the person’s movement, balance, and muscles tone growth. It often occurs due to the disability in the growth of the brain. It mostly happens before the birth of a child or in childhood. CP is caused by injury in the brain or brain malformation during the development period of the brain. Signs and symptoms appear in early childhood in CP. People face problems in swallowing and eye muscles imbalance where the eye does not focus on the same object. Epilepsy, blindness or deafness, and reduction in motion at various joints due to muscle stiffness are common problems in Cerebral Palsy.

Cerebral palsy

Prevention during pregnancy can reduce the risk of cerebral palsy:

• Vaccinate yourself against the diseases such as rubella which usually damages the foetal brain.
• Health is important in pregnancy. The healthier you are, the more you can fight against the infection that results in cerebral palsy.
• Visit the doctor regularly during pregnancy as it will help to reduce health-risk.
• Prevent head injuries by providing your child with a car seat and bicycle helmet.
• Don’t take alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs during pregnancy as they increase the risk of cerebral palsy.