Cerebral Palsy

Thankfully, over the years, there has been research that has identified a few of the causes of cerebral palsy. These particular causes have been shown to be preventable or treatable:

• Jaundice. Jaundice (as discussed in chapter one) in newborn infants can be treated before it becomes severe enough to cause cerebral palsy. A special procedure called phototherapy is used to treat it. Phototherapy uses special blue lights that break down the yellow bile pigments in an infant's blood before they build up and damage the brain cells.
• Rh incompatibility. Rh incompatibility (as discussed in chapter one) is a blood condition where the mother's body produces immune cells called antibodies that can destroy the fetus's blood cells. Today Rh incompatibility is easily identified by a simple blood test on the pregnant mother. In most cases, a special serum can prevent the unwanted production of antibodies.
• Rubella, or German measles. Rubella (as discussed in chapter one) is a virus that can infect pregnant women. This can be prevented if women are vaccinated against the disease before becoming pregnant.
• Head injuries. Many head injuries that cause cerebral palsy can be prevented by such things as the regular use of child safety seats while riding in a car; the use of helmets while riding a bicycle, rollerskating, or skateboarding; and eliminating situations of child abuse.