A twin study of congenital hemiplegia

Abstract

Twins were more than three times more common in a large sample of London children with congenital hemiplegia than in the general population. This over-representation of twins could largely be explained by their higher rate of preterm birth, though twin-specific risk factors, including the consequences of a co-twin's death in utero, may also have played a part. None of the 34 co-twins who survived infancy had hemiplegia or any other form of cerebral palsy. Among 155 siblings of singletons with congenital hemiplegia, no child had hemiplegia and only one had cerebral palsy. Perhaps it is chance rather then genetic liability or an adverse environment that primarily governs who does and does not become congenitally hemiplegic.