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Handedness in diplegic cerebral palsy
Ki Rui Lin1, Vasanthi Prabhu, Hitesh Shah
1Paediatric Orthopaedic Service, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal 576 104, Karnataka, India.
Insights
Left-handedness is significantly more common in children with spastic cerebral diplegia. This study found a substantially higher frequency of left-handedness in affected children compared to controls.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Human Genetics
Background:
- Spastic cerebral diplegia is a common form of cerebral palsy affecting motor function.
- Handedness patterns in neurological conditions are of significant clinical interest.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of left-handedness in children diagnosed with spastic cerebral diplegia.
- To compare left-handedness frequency in spastic cerebral diplegia patients versus healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study design was employed.
- 111 children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy and 444 age- and gender-matched controls participated.
- Handedness was assessed via questionnaires on writing, drawing, feeding, and ball-throwing preferences.
Main Results:
- 45 out of 111 children (40.5%) with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy were left-handed.
- Only 13 out of 444 controls (2.9%) exhibited left-handedness.
- The odds ratio for left-handedness in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy was 27.33 (95% CI: 11.63–64.25).
Conclusions:
- Left-handedness is markedly prevalent in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.
- This finding suggests a potential link between spastic diplegic cerebral palsy and atypical handedness development.
Objective:
To determine if the frequency of left-handedness is high in children with spastic cerebral diplegia.
Design:
Case-control study.
Methods:
One hundred and eleven children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy and 444 age- and gender-matched controls were studied. The handedness of each child was assigned on the basis of responses to questions on the hand preference for writing and drawing, feeding and throwing a ball. The data were analysed by conditional logistic regression and computing the odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals for left handedness.
Results:
Of the 111 children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, 45 were left-handed, while 13 of 444 normal children were left-handed. The odds ratio for left-handedness in children with diplegic cerebral palsy as compared to normal children was 27.33 (95% CI = 11.63, 64.25).
Conclusion:
The study shows that left-handedness is very frequently encountered in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.
