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The Panorama of Cerebral Palsy in Sweden Part XIV Shows Further Decrease in Prevalence and Severity in the
Kate Himmelmann1, Magnus Påhlman1
1Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden.
Aim:
To describe prevalence, background and gross motor function of cerebral palsy (CP) in western Sweden 2015-2018 and compare to birth-years 1999-2014.
Methods:
Population-based study covering 108 963 live births in 2015-2018. Birth characteristics, neuroimaging findings and motor outcome were analysed and prevalence calculated and compared to previous cohorts.
Results:
CP was diagnosed in 194 children, 180 had pre- or peri/neonatal background. Crude prevalence was 1.78 per 1000 live births compared to 2.18 in 1999-2002. Gestational age-specific prevalence for < 28 gestational weeks was 65.9 per 1000 live births, 41.4 for 28-31 weeks, 5.6 for 32-36 weeks and 1.06 per 1000 for > 36 weeks of gestation. Hemiplegia was found in 51.7%, diplegia in 30.6% and tetraplegia in 5.6%, dyskinetic CP accounted for 10.6% and ataxia for 1.7%. Neuroimaging showed maldevelopments in 7%, white matter lesions in 54% and grey matter lesions in 29%. Motor function had improved since the birth years 1999-2002, both in term and in extremely preterm children. Prenatal aetiology was considered in 34.4% and peri/neonatal in 49.4%. Aetiological period remained unclassified in 16.1%.
Conclusion:
The prevalence of CP is declining. Gross motor function has improved over time. White matter lesions are increasingly common.
