Abstract

ROBAINA CASTELLANOS, Gerardo Rogelio  and  RIESGO RODRIGUEZ, Solangel de la Caridad. Etiology of cerebral palsy in Cuban children (Matanzas, birth-year period 1996-2002). Bol. Med. Hosp. Infant. Mex. [online]. 2010, vol.67, n.6, pp.507-517. ISSN 1665-1146.

Background. Cerebral palsy (CP) describes a group of motor disabilities originating in the developing brain. There are no population studies reporting the frequency of their causes in Cuba. We undertook this study to determine the frequency of causes of CP in population of Cuban children. Methods. The study design was descriptive and retrospective. During the period from 1996-2002, of 58,966 live newborn in Matanzas Province, Cuba, there were 107 cases of CP. Eighty six children with CP were clinically evaluated during a consultation and were classified according to timing of injury and specific causes. Results. Congenital CP represented 96.5% of cases. According to timing of injury, perinatal-neonatal causes were the most frequent (36%). Of the total amount of 83 congenital CP patients evaluated, perinatal asphyxia was present in 44.5%, primary intrapartum asphyxia in 6%, and neonatal encephalopathy, regardless of the etiology, in 44.5%. Conclusion. Perinatal-neonatal causes represent an important contribution to the occurrence of CP among the studied patients. We recommend that a careful study of patients should be undertaken in which secondary intrapartum asphyxia and/or neonatal infection were present, together with antenatal risk factors. Additionally, collaborative studies should be carried out in Latin American countries.

Keywords : cerebral palsy; epidemiology; etiology; prevention; control.