Can Cerebral Palsy Affect My Child’s Lifespan?

Cerebral palsy can affect your child’s lifespan, depending on the severity of the condition and the medical complications it causes.

Finding out that your child has cerebral palsy can be devastating. If your child developed this condition as a result of medical negligence, a cerebral palsy lawyer from Birth Injury Lawyers Group can help you pursue compensation.

Does Cerebral Palsy Affect Your Child’s Lifespan?

Cerebral palsy can affect lifespan in some children, but it does not necessarily shorten a child’s life. Children with mild cerebral palsy who can walk, eat, communicate, and participate in everyday activities without substantial assistance often have life expectancies close to those of people without cerebral palsy.

That said, more severe cerebral palsy presents greater health risks. Children who have significant difficulty moving, swallowing, communicating, or controlling their muscles often require extensive assistance and face an increased risk of serious illness, which can affect their life expectancy.

Ultimately, a cerebral palsy diagnosis alone cannot determine how long your child will live. Your child’s doctors must evaluate their individual symptoms, medical history, functional abilities, and other health conditions to provide a more meaningful assessment.

What Factors Relating to Cerebral Palsy Can Affect a Child’s Lifespan?

There is no single lifespan that applies to every child with cerebral palsy. Several factors can influence your child’s long-term health, including:

• Severity of physical impairment: Children who have greater limitations and require substantial assistance with daily activities may face more health risks.
• Mobility: The ability to walk independently or with limited assistance is an important factor when doctors assess long-term outcomes.
• Swallowing difficulties: Problems with swallowing can increase the risk of choking, aspiration, malnutrition, and respiratory infections.
• Respiratory health: Children with severe cerebral palsy may have difficulty clearing respiratory secretions or maintaining effective breathing, increasing their risk of pneumonia and other complications.
• Seizure disorders: Some children with cerebral palsy also experience epilepsy, which may require long-term treatment and monitoring.
• Cognitive impairment: Significant cognitive disabilities can sometimes occur alongside severe physical impairments and may affect a child’s ability to recognize or communicate health problems.
• Nutrition: Difficulty eating or swallowing can make it challenging for a child to obtain adequate calories and nutrients.
• Access to medical care: Regular medical treatment, therapy, preventive care, and appropriate equipment can help you manage your child’s complications and support their overall health.
• Other medical conditions: Conditions affecting the heart, lungs, gastrointestinal system, or other parts of the body may influence a child’s long-term prognosis.

What Health Complications Can Cerebral Palsy Cause?

Cerebral palsy primarily affects movement, muscle tone, posture, and coordination, but some children also experience other health complications. 

Common complications include:

• Respiratory problems: Muscle weakness and difficulty coordinating swallowing can make it harder for some children to protect their airways or clear mucus.
• Difficulty swallowing and feeding: Dysphagia can make eating and drinking difficult and increase the risk of choking or aspiration. Children who cannot consume enough food or fluids may also experience malnutrition or dehydration.
• Seizures: Epilepsy occurs more frequently among people with cerebral palsy.
• Musculoskeletal problems: Abnormal muscle tone can put stress on muscles, bones, and joints. Children may develop contractures, hip displacement, scoliosis, pain, or other orthopedic conditions that can affect their mobility and comfort.
• Communication difficulties: Some children have trouble speaking or communicating because cerebral palsy affects the muscles involved in speech.
• Vision and hearing problems: Some children with cerebral palsy experience vision or hearing impairments that can affect learning, communication, and daily activities.
• Sleep difficulties: Muscle spasms, pain, discomfort, seizures, and other symptoms may interfere with sleep.
• Pain: Muscle stiffness, joint problems, abnormal posture, and orthopedic complications can cause chronic or recurring pain.

If your child is experiencing any of these complications due to preventable cerebral palsy, a cerebral palsy attorney from Birth Injury Lawyers Group can help you seek damages.

Can Cerebral Palsy Get Worse With Age?

Cerebral palsy itself is not generally a progressive neurological disorder, meaning the original brain injury does not get worse with age. However, a child’s symptoms and physical limitations can change as they grow and their body develops.

As a child gets older, the physical demands placed on their body can increase. Growth spurts and years of using muscles and joints affected by cerebral palsy may contribute to contractures, scoliosis, hip problems, or reduced mobility. Muscle stiffness, weakness, abnormal movement patterns, pain, fatigue, and joint problems may also become more noticeable.

The cerebral palsy lawyers at Birth Injury Lawyers Group can help make sure your birth injury claim accounts for your child’s long-term medical expenses.

How Can Medical Negligence Cause Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy can develop when a baby’s brain is injured before, during, or shortly after birth. Negligence does not cause every case of cerebral palsy, but the following types of medical mistakes can contribute to it:

• Failure to monitor fetal distress: Healthcare providers may fail to properly monitor the baby’s heart rate or recognize signs that the baby is experiencing oxygen deprivation.
• Delayed emergency C–section: When fetal distress or another serious complication develops, an unreasonable delay in performing an emergency C-section may increase the risk of brain injury.
• Failure to treat maternal infections: Certain infections during pregnancy can increase risks to the developing baby.
• Improper management of preeclampsia: Failing to recognize or treat severe preeclampsia or related complications can place both the mother and baby at risk.
• Failure to recognize placental problems: Placental abruption and other placental complications can interfere with the baby’s oxygen supply.
• Improper treatment during labor: Errors involving medications, labor management, or other procedures may contribute to complications that affect the baby’s oxygen supply or cause other injuries.
• Failure to respond to umbilical cord complications: Problems such as umbilical cord compression or prolapse can potentially reduce oxygen reaching the baby.
• Inadequate neonatal care: After birth, newborns may require immediate treatment for conditions such as oxygen deprivation, low blood sugar, infections, or breathing difficulties. A failure to recognize or treat these conditions may contribute to neurological injury.

If your child was harmed because their healthcare provider committed one of these mistakes, Birth Injury Lawyers Group can help you hold the responsible parties accountable.

What to Do If Your Child’s Cerebral Palsy Was Caused By Medical Negligence

If you believe your child’s cerebral palsy may have resulted from medical negligence, you should:

• Request your child‘s medical records: Obtain prenatal, labor and delivery, neonatal, and pediatric records that may provide information about what happened before, during, and after your child’s birth.
• Write down what you remember: Record important details about the pregnancy, delivery, your child’s condition at birth, and conversations you had with healthcare providers while the events are still fresh in your memory.
• Follow your child‘s treatment plan: Continue obtaining appropriate medical care, therapy, evaluations, and other services for your child.
• Keep track of expenses: Save bills, receipts, insurance statements, therapy costs, equipment expenses, and other documentation related to your child’s cerebral palsy.
• Speak with an attorney: The team at Birth Injury Lawyers Group can review the circumstances surrounding your child’s birth, consult appropriate medical experts, and determine whether you have grounds for a cerebral palsy lawsuit.

Consult a Cerebral Palsy Attorney

A cerebral palsy diagnosis can have a significant impact on your family’s finances. If your child developed this condition due to medical negligence, a cerebral palsy attorney from Birth Injury Lawyers Group can help you file a claim and obtain compensation.

Schedule a free case evaluation to learn more about your legal options.