What are the causes of cerebral palsy?
In about 70 percent of cases, cerebral palsy results from events occurring before birth that can disrupt normal development of the brain. Contrary to common belief, lack of oxygen reaching the fetus during labor and delivery contributes to only a small minority of cases of cerebral palsy, according to a 2003 report by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). A small number of babies also develop brain injuries in the first months or years of life that can result in cerebral palsy. In many cases, the cause of cerebral palsy in a child is not known. Some of the known causes of cerebral palsy include: • Infections during pregnancy. Certain infections in the mother, including rubella (German measles), cytomegalovirus (a usually mild viral infection) and toxoplasmosis (a usually mild parasitic infection) can cause brain damage and result in cerebral palsy. Recent studies suggest that maternal infections involving the placen
