Literature review: Infantile cerebral palsy, causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

Abstract

Infantile cerebral palsy (ICP) is a non-progressive pediatric disease and the most frequent cause of childhood disability; it is a permanent motor impairment due to a non-evolutionary lesion of the central nervous system during the early period of brain development. The objective of this research was to obtain systematically updated information on the main characteristics of infantile cerebral palsy (CP), considering risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Thus, by means of a focused narrative-descriptive literature review, a compilation of publications in journals and scientific articles of academic interest was made, using inclusion and exclusion criteria. Thirty publications were selected from scientific articles and other documents. Subsequently, relevant information was analyzed, synthesized and discussed. It was determined that the global prevalence is between 1.5-3/1000 of live newborns, it is more frequent in products weighing 1000-1499 grams, in Latin America there are no data, since there are no studies or programs specialized in the subject. ICP presents multiple risk factors that interact giving effects in the fetus or newborn.