Change in mobility function and its causes in adults with cerebral palsy by Gross Motor Function Classification System level: A cross-sectional questionnaire study

Cerebral palsy describes a group of movement and posture disorders that cause activity limitation, and are attributable to nonprogressive disorders that occur in the fetal or infant brain. The growth of these children should not be compared with those of the healthy population. We studied 452 children, 186 female and 266 male. We compared the results in 2 growth charts, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and cerebral palsy, and the results were statistically significant ( P = .00001). With the CDC charts, 40.71% of the patients were below the 5th percentile and only 5.5% of them when we used the charts for cerebral palsy patients. The Mexican cerebral palsy patients were similar to US cerebral palsy patients when we compared height ( P = .4075) and body mass index (BMI) ( P = .4075). Only the weight was found to be different ( P = .00001). All the correlation indexes were negative: Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System (EDACS)-BMI (rho = –0.4798) ( P = .00001), Communication Function Classification System (CFCS)-BMI (rho = –0.4353) ( P = .00001), and Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS)-BMI (rho = –0.3584) ( P = .00001). The growth charts of the healthy pediatric population tend to overestimate the underweight. We propose to use cerebral palsy charts as a reference in our patients. It is possible to determine a functional profile (communication, gross motor function and safety, and feed efficiency) for the cerebral palsy population based on their BMI.

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Respiratory System Impairments in Children with Cerebral Palsy: Outpatient Surveillance, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Medical Research Archives ◽

10.18103/mra.v9i11.2594 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

Author(s):

Bruno Dias ◽

Fernanda Lima

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Motor Function ◽

Classification System ◽

Emergency Department Visits ◽

Morbidity And Mortality ◽

Diagnosis And Treatment ◽

System Level ◽

Gross Motor ◽

Medical Specialties ◽

Gross Motor Function

Introduction: Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability of childhood. Respiratory problems are the main causes of morbidity and mortality in cerebral palsy. Methods: The study is characterized by a scoping review. The search for articles was carried out in August 2021 in the PubMed, Medline, SciELO, LILACs and Google Schoolar databases, with the keywords "cerebral palsy” and "respiratory". Results: Overall, 1037 articles were found, 10 duplicates were removed and 167 were pre-selected after the analysis of titles and abstracts. Then, 90 were excluded due to lack of appropriateness after reading the full-texts, thus yielding a total of 77 studies. Discussion: Risk of respiratory disease should be screened at least every 12 months based on the following criteria: a hospital admission for respiratory illness in the past 12 months; a Gross Motor Function Classification System level V; a Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System level III–V. The screening aims to lead to early diagnosis and treatment, and consists in actively evaluate the risk factors for emergency department visits and hospital admissions. A Gross Motor Function Classification System level V is the strongest predictor, but dysphagia and seizures are the strongest potentially modifiable factors. Aspiration pneumonia is the main cause of death. The main risk for aspiration are dysphagia; uncontrolled seizures; gastroesophageal reflux disease; and drooling. Other comorbidities should also be actively screened: undernutrition; tone disorders; skeletal malalignment; upper respiratory obstruction; airway clearence impairment; and restrictive lung disease. Conclusion: Respiratory impairments in CP results from a complex multifactorial process influenced by several interrelated pathophysiological factors, directly and indirectly influenced by other common comorbidities in CP. Active and early surveillance, diagnosis and treatment, involving multiple medical specialties and rehabilitation professionals is essential for success in improving the quality of life and reducing morbidity and mortality of these patients.

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