Is cerebral palsy a life-threatening condition?
Cerebral palsy is not a terminal condition, but before the advent of newer medical techniques in the mid-twentieth century most children with CP did not live into adulthood; complications from the disorder claimed their lives. Today, between 65 and 90 percent of children with cerebral palsy reach adulthood. CP is stressful for the entire body and can cause premature aging, particularly of the heart, blood vessels, muscles, joints, and bones. The complications stemming from CP can be life-threatening. Cerebral palsy can lead to respiratory and swallowing difficulties. Difficulty swallowing can lead to malnutrition and/or aspiration pneumonia—in which food is inhaled into the lungs causing an infection. Malnutrition causes weakness and muscle deterioration; it weakens the immune system making the patient more vulnerable to infections and less able to fully recover if an infection occurs. CP patients whose mobility is extremely restricted may have to sit or lay down for extended periods o
