Cerebral palsy is not a rare condition; in fact, it is very common, affecting one birth every six hours, or approximately four newborns each day and 1,500 newborns each year.
Irreversible damage to certain cells
Today, 125,000 people in France and 17 million worldwide live with cerebral palsy. It results from the irreversible damage to certain brain cells in the fetus or infant due to a lack of oxygen or hemorrhage during pregnancy, childbirth, or the first two years of life, when the brain is rapidly developing.
Motor, cognitive, or sensory impairment
More than 50% of children with cerebral palsy are born at term. However, the risk of brain damage is much higher in premature infants and even higher in extremely premature infants. Approximately half of children born before six months of gestation have a motor, cognitive, or sensory impairment.
Brain Damage Around Birth
Cerebral palsy refers to a group of disorders affecting a person's movements as a result of brain damage occurring around the time of birth: infection or illness during pregnancy, stroke in utero, umbilical cord wrapped around the neck or abdomen, neonatal distress during a difficult delivery, severe seizures, resuscitation after sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), shaken baby syndrome, etc.
An Early Detection Program
Since 2022, the Cerebral Palsy Foundation has supported a major project, called ENSEMBLE, which aims to establish a reliable early detection program for cerebral palsy. More information on www.fondationparalysiecerebrale.org
 Didier Galibert
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06/10/2025 | 
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