Cerebral palsy

Abstract

Cerebral palsy is a relatively common cause of physical and neurological disability. The health and care needs of people with cerebral palsy bring medical complexity and frequent contact with health professionals. The GP has a unique opportunity to provide continuity for the person throughout their life course and can be an important support for the patient and their carers during illness and periods of transition. This article aims to highlight the important clinical aspects of cerebral palsy and the principles of management, with an emphasis on the role of the GP.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Blair E and Cans C (2018) The definition of cerebral palsy. In: Panteliadis C (ed) Cerebral Palsy. A Multidisciplinary Approach, Third Edition. Cham: Springer Press, pp. 13–17.

Bostock N (2019) Map: How GP practice list size varies across England. Available at: www.gponline.com/map-gp-practice-list-size-varies-across-england/article/1662180 (accessed 5 July 2021).

Cummins

Kerr

McConnell

, et al. (2021) Risk factors for intellectual disability in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Archives of Disease in Childhood 106: 975–980. DOI: 10.1136/ archdischild-2020-320441.

Himmelmann K and Panteliadis P (2018) Clinical characteristics. In: Panteliadis C (ed) Cerebral Palsy. A Multidisciplinary Approach, Third Edition. Cham: Springer Press, pp. 75–85.

Joint Formulary Committee (2021) British national formulary. Available at: https://bnf.nice.org.uk/ (accessed 5 July 2021).

Korseniewski

Slaughter

Lenski

, et al. (2018) The complex aetiology of cerebral palsy. Nature Neurology 14(9): 528543DOI: 10.1038/s41582-018-0043-6.

Kozeis N and Jain S (2018) Visual impairment in cerebral palsy. In: Panteliadis C (ed) Cerebral Palsy. A Multidisciplinary Approach, Third Edition. Cham: Springer Press, pp. 295–302.

Krigger

(2006) Cerebral palsy: An overview. American Family Physician 73(1): 91–100.

Munot P and Varadkar S (2016) Paediatric medicine. Cerebral palsy. Available at: www.gponline.com/paediatric-medicine-cerebral-palsy/paediatrics/paediatrics/article/1009618 (accessed 5 July 2021).

10.

Nelson

Ellenberg

(1986) Antecedents of cerebral palsy. Multivariate analysis of risk. New England Journal of Medicine 315(2): 81–86. DOI: 10.1056/NEJM198607103150202.

11.

Panteliadis C and, Vassilyadi P (2018) Cerebral palsy: A historical review. In: Panteliadis C (ed) Cerebral Palsy. A Multidisciplinary Approach, Third Edition, Cham: Springer Press, pp. 1–12.

12.

Park

(2020) Stability of the gross motor function classification in system for children with cerebral palsy for two years. BMC Neurology 20. : 172: 1–7. DOI: 10.1186/s12883-020-01721-4.

13.

RCGP. Clinical topic guide: Neurodevelopmental disorders, intellectual and social disability. Available at: www.rcgp.org.uk/gp-training-and-exams/training/gp-curriculum-overview/clinical-topic-guides.aspx#neurodevelopmental (accessed 5 July 2021).

14.

Reddihough

(2011) Focus disability. Cerebral palsy in childhood. Australian Family Physician 40(4): 192–196. Available at www.racgp.org.au/afp/2011/april/cerebral-palsy-in-childhood (accessed 5 July 2021).

15.

Fortuna RJ, Holub A, Turk MA, Meccarello J and Davidson PW (2018) Health conditions, functional status and health care utilization in adults with cerebral palsy. Family Practice 35(6): 661–670. DOI: 10.1093/fampra/cmy027.

16.

Wallace

(2001) Epilepsy in cerebral palsy. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 43(10): 413–417. DOI: 10.1017/s0012162201001281.