Multi-Organ Dysfunction in Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy (CP) describes a heterogenous group of non-progressive disorders of posture or movement, causing activity limitation, due to a lesion in the developing brain. CP is an umbrella term for a heterogenous condition and is, therefore, descriptive rather than a diagnosis. Each case requires...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inFrontiers in pediatrics Vol. 9; p. 668544
Main Authors Allen, John, Zareen, Zunera, Doyle, Samantha, Whitla, Laura, Afzal, Zainab, Stack, Maria, Franklin, Orla, Green, Andrew, James, Adam, Leahy, Timothy Ronan, Quinn, Shoana, Elnazir, Basil, Russell, John, Paran, Sri, Kiely, Patrick, Roche, Edna Frances, McDonnell, Ciara, Baker, Louise, Hensey, Owen, Gibson, Louise, Kelly, Stephanie, McDonald, Denise, Molloy, Eleanor J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 09.08.2021
Subjects
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

Loading…
More Information
Summary:Cerebral Palsy (CP) describes a heterogenous group of non-progressive disorders of posture or movement, causing activity limitation, due to a lesion in the developing brain. CP is an umbrella term for a heterogenous condition and is, therefore, descriptive rather than a diagnosis. Each case requires detailed consideration of etiology. Our understanding of the underlying cause of CP has developed significantly, with areas such as inflammation, epigenetics and genetic susceptibility to subsequent insults providing new insights. Alongside this, there has been increasing recognition of the multi-organ dysfunction (MOD) associated with CP, in particular in children with higher levels of motor impairment. Therefore, CP should not be seen as an unchanging disorder caused by a solitary insult but rather, as a condition which evolves over time. Assessment of multi-organ function may help to prevent complications in later childhood or adulthood. It may also contribute to an improved understanding of the etiology and thus may have an implication in prevention, interventional methods and therapies. MOD in CP has not yet been quantified and a scoring system may prove useful in allowing advanced clinical planning and follow-up of children with CP. Additionally, several biomarkers hold promise in assisting with long-term monitoring. Clinicians should be aware of the multi-system complications that are associated with CP and which may present significant diagnostic challenges given that many children with CP communicate non-verbally. A step-wise, logical, multi-system approach is required to ensure that the best care is provided to these children. This review summarizes multi-organ dysfunction in children with CP whilst highlighting emerging research and gaps in our knowledge. We identify some potential organ-specific biomarkers which may prove useful in developing guidelines for follow-up and management of these children throughout their lifespan.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
ObjectType-Review-3
content type line 23
This article was submitted to Pediatric Neurology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics
Edited by: Sergiusz Jozwiak, Warszawski Uniwersytet Medyczny, Poland
Reviewed by: Bernard Dan, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium; Marek Józwiak, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland
ISSN:2296-2360
2296-2360
DOI:10.3389/fped.2021.668544