RECENT NEWS
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-April 22, 2008

AMPS Program Offered for CP Patients

The Advanced Management of Pediatric Spasticity, or AMPS, was recently created to help streamline care for children who are living with cerebral palsy and are also having health complications.

 

Spasticity is a condition that many children with cerebral palsy tend to experience.
This is something which can prevent them from walking and moving as they normally would in their daily lives.

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CEREBRAL PALSY CAUSES
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There are numerous causes of Cerebral Palsy.

CP can either be present before birth, can occur during the delivery process, or can even develop up to several years after a child is born. The disorder is most commonly diagnosed when a child is between four months and 2 years old. Occasionally, it does not appear until later in a child's development.

In rare cases, Cerebral Palsy is acquired at an adult age due to an unforeseen accident that affects the brain and control of body movement.

Prenatal causes (During pregnancy):

  • Anoxia (typically from the umbilical cord)
  • Infections (most commonly rubella and herpes simplex)
  • Metabolic disorder (diabetes, a heart condition, hyperthyroidism, severe asthma)
  • RH Factor: RH sensitization Abdominal injury Poor prenatal care

Perinatal CP (During or after delivery):

  • Anoxia (typically from the umbilical cord)
  • Head trauma (labor/delivery, hemorrhage, forceps application, poor position of the infant, breech delivery)
  • Asphyxia (mechanical respiratory obstruction)
  • Birthing complications Pressure changes (delivered too fast or too slow)
  • Analgesics (the administering of drugs that affects the respiratory system)
  • Respiratory distress
  • Premature birth
  • Dangerously low weight at birth

Developmental Causes:

  • Macrocephaly
  • Micocephaly

Acquired Cerebral Palsy causes:

  • Anoxia (carbon monoxide poisoning, smoke inhalation, strangulation and near drowning)
  • Neoplasams of the brain (tumors, cysts, and hydrocephalus)
  • Infections (high fevers, meningitis, encephalitis, or brain abscesses)
  • Head traumas (wounds, severe concussions, or fractures)
  • Vascular problems of the brain (thrombosis or hemorrhage)