Cerebral palsy occurs in about 2.5 per 1000 live births. The prevalence had not changed in the past 20 years in the United States despite advances in technology and health care. Cerebral palsy affects both sexes and all ethnic and socioeconomic groups.
The exact causes of most cases of CP are unknown, but many are the result of problems during pregnancy in which the fetus' brain is either damaged or doesn't develop normally. This can be due to infections, mother's health problems, or something else that interferes with normal brain development.
Premature babies - particularly those who weigh less than 3.3 pounds (1,510 grams) - have a higher risk of CP than babies that are carried full-term, as are other low birth weight babies and multiple births, such as twins and triplets.
Brain damage in infancy or early childhood can also lead to CP. A baby or toddler might suffer this damage because of lead poisoning, bacterial meningitis An infection of the membrane that surrounds the brain or spinal cord., malnutrition, being shaken as an infant (shaken baby syndrome), or other types of trauma/injury to the brain.
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