AbstractCerebral palsy (CP) is a group of persistent (but not necessarily unchanged), movement, posture, muscle tone and motor skills disorders non-progressive, with early onset, due to non-progressive impairments, occurring on an immature brain or a brain under development (prenatal, perinatal, postnatal during the first 3-4 years of life). It is associated to a variable extent with: cognitive disorders, epilepsy, sensory deficits, behaviour disorders. Aims and Objectives: To study the co morbidities associated in cerebral Palsy patients. Materials and Methods:A hospital based prospective observational study carried out during the period of June 2016 to June 2017 at the Department of Pediatrics in Dr. VikhePatil Institute of medical sciences. All the children suffering from cerebral Palsy were included in the study. The patients were examined thoroughly and comorbidities associated were recorded. Results: Fifty-five cerebral palsy children were included in the study. 34 (61.8%) patients were male and 21 (38.2%) were females. There were 50 (90.9%) spastic CP. 3 (5.4%) hypotonic CP and 2 (3.7%) dyskinetic CP. Out of the 50 spastic CP patients 30(60%) were diplegic, 14 (28%) were quadriplegic, 5(10%) were hemiplegic and 1 (2%) was paraplegic. The commonest co morbidity associated with these patients was severe malnutrition. Intellectual Disability and language delay were the second commonest associations. Other comorbidties associated were seizures (38.2%) , drooling (58%), dysphagia (50%), GERD, constipation (43%), strabismus (54%), refractive errors (12.7%), hearing loss (29.1%), contractures (60%), urinary tract infections (49.1%), sleep disorders (38.2%), dental caries (56.4%) and behavioral problems (32.7%). Conclusion: While managing the cases of Cerebral Palsy, it is imperative to ascertain the comorbidities associated with effective and better management. Most children with developmental disability have lifelong impairments. The primary physician caring for these children is at the core of care provision.
Keywords: Cerebral Palsy; Comorbidities