ANTENATAL, PERINATAL AND POSTNATAL RISK FACTORS IN CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY: A HOSPITAL-BASED OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder affecting children across the globe. This study aimed to identify the prevalent antenatal, perinatal, and postnatal factors associated with CP. Methods: The present study was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics, Govt. Medical College Jammu over a period of one year with effect from September 2022 to August 2023. A total of 45 patients with cerebral palsy were enrolled, and data on demographic profile, antenatal, perinatal, and postnatal history were collected and analyzed. Results: We observed that mean age of study patients was 6.3 years, with majority being male accounting for (57.8%). Evidently, antenatal factors such as; maternal age (25-29 years), maternal illness (86.7%), infections during pregnancy (28.9%), and antibiotic use (17.8%) were prevalent. The assessment of perinatal factors revealed that gestational age (≥ 37 weeks, 73.3%), birth weight (2.5-3.5 kg, 73.3%) and normal vaginal delivery (73.3%) were commonest among the studied population. Among the postnatal factors; neonatal sepsis (73.3%), neonatal seizures (46.7%), NICU admission (77.8%), meningitis (42.2%), mechanical ventilation (44.4%), and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) (46.7%) were prevalent. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated the prevalence of various antenatal, perinatal and postnatal factors contributing to CP, which essentially emphasizes the need for careful maternal and child healthcare policies to improve outcomes