Cerebral Palsy and Life Expectancy: All You Need To Know

Life expectancy is the number of years a person can expect to live and is based on the average age of a population group when they die. The life expectancy for a child with Cerebral Palsy depends on the severity of the condition and the degree of their physical and intellectual impairments. Parents, naturally are anxious to know more about the survival outcomes and quality of life for their child. Here’s a quick guide on what to expect.

Understanding Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy refers to a group of neurological disorders that affect movement, muscle tone, coordination, and motor skills caused by damage or abnormalities in the developing brain. The condition is non-progressive and has no cure, although symptoms can be managed with the right treatment. Cerebral Palsy may be mild or severe, depending on the location and severity of the brain injury, and symptoms will manifest accordingly.

Cerebral Palsy and life expectancy

Over the last few decades, the mortality rates for children with Cerebral Palsy have gone down considerably. Even those with severe cases will usually reach adulthood. Life expectancy depends on the severity of the child’s symptoms and any co-existing conditions that might be present. We can determine the effect on life expectancy based on the subtype of cerebral palsy as follows:

• Spastic Cerebral Palsy: This can take the form of spastic hemiplegia, spastic diplegia or spastic quadriplegia. Children with spastic quadriplegia (where all four limbs are affected) have the most severe impairment of movement and are also likely to have severe intellectual impairment, which can negatively affect lifespan.

• Ataxic Cerebral Palsy: Children with this subtype of Cerebral Palsy have trouble with fine motor skills and overall range of motion. While milder cases may not affect lifespan, more severe cases could necessitate the use of mobility devices and daily assistance from others with basic tasks. In addition, severe mobility issues could lead to a weakened immune system, which leaves the patient vulnerable to other complications. This could reduce life expectancy over time.

• Athetoid Cerebral Palsy: Also known as dystonic Cerebral Palsy, children with this variety of the disease have fluctuating muscle tone which adversely affects their mobility. In addition, the lack of control over oral muscles can lead to poor feeding habits, malnutrition, and choking hazards which could increase the risk of respiratory illnesses and affect the lifespan.

• Mixed Cerebral Palsy: This subtype comes with the symptoms of one or more of the above subtypes. Given that the number of symptoms is high, the risk of associated complications is also higher. Mobility, feeding ability, communication ability, and cognitive function are all hindered, leaving them more reliant on others for basic needs and more vulnerable to illness.

How to improve your child’s lifespan

As a parent, you will naturally want your child to live as long and healthy a life as possible. The best Cerebral Palsy treatment can go a long way in managing symptoms and reducing their severity, and you should start your child on a treatment plan as early as possible. Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and stem cell therapy can all work to:

• Improve your child’s overall mobility and range of motion

• Manage the pain they feel

• Help them chew and swallow food safely

• Help them speak more clearly

• Teach them to get dressed, move around, do their schoolwork, and perform other daily activities

• Manage their co-existing conditions

You can also invest in assistive devices and mobility aids as your physician recommends.

As the child becomes an adult, they will need to learn how to support themselves financially so as to enjoy a higher quality of life. Ways they can enhance their independence and life expectancy include:

• Learning how to perform daily tasks like prepare a meal or drive a car

• Learning how to get around on public transport if unable to drive

• Attending colleges that support students with disabilities

• Consulting with a career counselor to obtain a suitable job

• Learning how to take care of own finances and maintain own house

While life can be much harder in many ways with Cerebral Palsy, the right therapy, medication, and care can go a long way in enhancing quality of life and improving life expectancy. By investing in the best Cerebral Palsy treatment early on, parents can safeguard their children against associated conditions, maximise symptom management, and ensure as happy and independent a lifestyle as possible.