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Cerebral Palsy in 1-12 Year Old Children in Southern Iran
Soroor Inaloo1, Pegah Katibeh2, Masroor Ghasemof3
1Pediatric Neurologist, Neonatology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran ; Pediatric Neurologist, Department of Pediatric, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran.
Insights
Risk factors for cerebral palsy (CP) in southern Iran differ from developed nations. Maternal age, pregnancy issues, delivery method, birth head circumference, neonatal admission, jaundice, and prematurity are key contributors.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) is a non-progressive central nervous system (CNS) disorder resulting from early brain injury.
- Etiology of CP is evolving, with perinatal and postnatal factors less prominent in developed countries.
- Understanding regional CP causes is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the specific causes and risk factors of cerebral palsy in children residing in southern Iran.
- To compare the etiological profile of CP in this region with that of developed countries.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 200 children diagnosed with CP (aged 1-12 years) and 200 healthy controls.
- Data collection included pregnancy period details, prenatal history, and past medical issues.
- Statistical analysis was performed to identify significant risk factors.
Main Results:
- Identified key risk factors for CP in southern Iran: maternal age, pregnancy complications, delivery route, birth head circumference, neonatal admission, neonatal jaundice, and prematurity.
- These factors highlight the continued importance of pre- and perinatal influences.
Conclusions:
- The etiological landscape of cerebral palsy in southern Iran presents distinct patterns compared to developed countries.
- Pre- and perinatal factors remain significant contributors to CP in the Iranian population, necessitating focused preventive strategies.
Objective:
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a non-progressive CNS disorder due to an insult to the growing brain, usually occurring in the first two years of life. During the recent years, its etiology has been changed; perinatal and postnatal insults are not considered as its main causes in developed countries any more. The aim of this study was to evaluate the causes of CP in children in southern Iran.
Materials & Methods:
Overall, 200 children with CP aged 1-12 yr old referring to Pediatric Neurology Clinic affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran between 2012 and 2013 were enrolled. In addition, 200 healthy age and sex-matched children were considered as the control group. Exclusion criteria were isolated movement disorders with no other evidence of CP, progressive neurologic disorders, metabolic disorders, and incomplete or uncertain past history. After collecting the data on pregnancy period, prenatal history and past medical problems, they were analyzed with appropriate statistical methods.
Results:
Maternal age, medical problems during pregnancy period, route of delivery, head circumference at birth, neonatal admission, neonatal jaundice, and prematurity were the main risk factors for CP.
Discussion:
The distribution of risk factors of CP is different from that of developed countries in our region. Pre- and peri-natal etiologies are still among the common causes of CP in Iran.
