Fall in cerebral palsy rates 'due to better natal care'RSS Feed

Rates of cerebral palsy, which is caused by brain injury occurring during birth, have dropped in the US, indicating improved prenatal and neonatal care, scientists have said.

A study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, found that rates of cerebral palsy have fallen significantly in the country in the past 15 years.

Scientists at the University Medical Center Utrecht in The Netherlands studied 3,000 infants born prematurely between 1990 and 2005 and found that 2.2 per cent of those born between 2002 and 2005 had cerebral palsy compared to rates of 6.5 per cent in the 1990-1993 time period.

Researcher Dr Ingrid van Haastert said: "We found that a decrease in the occurrence of extensive cystic white matter lesions was the main reason for the fall in severe cerebral palsy."

Meanwhile, research published in journal Neurosurgery found that children with severe traumatic brain injury could be treated successfully with stem cells from their own bone marrow.

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Posted by Paul Breen

 

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