About Athetoid Cerebral Palsy

History

Cerebral palsy is developed when a brain injury is sustained by a baby before, during or shortly after birth. The mother's health may cause injury in cases of high blood pressure or diabetes or even a traumatic accident. Other cases can occur during birth if the baby doesn't receive enough oxygen or if the delivery is complicated. Also, premature babies are more susceptible since they're often not ready to live outside of the womb. This type of injury occurs in the part of the brain that controls muscle tone, and depending on the injury, it can cause muscles to be too tight or too loose or even a combination of both. Athetoid cerebral palsy generally presents as a combination of muscle tone problems.

Athetoid cerebral palsy causes muscles to become too tight and too weak alternately. A person diagnosed with this type of cerebral palsy often experiences involuntary muscle spasms and movement, due to the fluctuation of muscle tone. Most athetoid cerebral palsy patients also have trouble holding themselves in an upright position, even for sitting, but especially for walking. Some patients also have problems with speech and may involuntarily drool. Lack of control over facial features is also common.

Athetoid cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the basal ganglia, which is located at the base of the brain. About ten to twenty percent of patients diagnosed with cerebral palsy have this type, according to CerebralPalsySource.com. Athetoid cerebral palsy is a form of athetonia, which is a condition marked by slow and twisting movements which are involuntary. These movements are often characterized as "big" movements, meaning they affect larger muscle groups, such as those in the arms and legs.

People who are uneducated about athetoid cerebral palsy may be afraid of patients who have this condition. Athetoid cerebral palsy is not contagious, nor can you "get" it later in life. It only occurs as described above---before, during, or shortly after birth. Athetoid cerebral palsy is sometimes mischaracterized as a disease, but that's not the case. In reality, it's simply a condition caused by injury to the brain. Symptoms do not increase over time, nor can the patient "grow out of it."

The prognosis of patients with athetoid cerebral palsy varies depending on the severity of their condition, but in most cases, patients can expect a normal life span. Those with the ability to feed themselves, ambulate and perform basic self-care tasks are more likely to be able to live independently. The reproductive system is generally not affected by the diagnosis, and some patients are able to have children. While the severity of the condition does not change, the effects on the body may become more or less severe over the years based on the activities in which the patient engages. For example, a patient receiving physical or occupational therapy may be able to improve their ability to walk or perform self-care tasks.