Cerebral palsy

==Epidemiology==
Cerebral palsy occurs in about 2.1 per 1000 live births.<ref name="Osk2013" /> In those born at term rates are lower at 1 per 1000 live births.<ref name="Yar2013" /> Within a population it may occur more often in poorer people.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Odding E, Roebroeck ME, Stam HJ | title = The epidemiology of cerebral palsy: incidence, impairments and risk factors | journal = Disability and Rehabilitation | volume = 28 | issue = 4 | pages = 183–191 | date = February 2006 | pmid = 16467053 | doi = 10.1080/09638280500158422 | s2cid = 45640254 }}</ref> The rate is higher in males than in females; in Europe it is 1.3 times more common in males.<ref name="JohnsonPrevalence" />

There was a "moderate, but significant" rise in the prevalence of CP between the 1970s and 1990s. This is thought to be due to a rise in [[low birth weight]] of infants and the increased survival rate of these infants. The increased survival rate of infants with CP in the 1970s and 80s may be indirectly due to the [[disability rights movement]] challenging perspectives around the worth of infants with a disability, as well as the [[Baby Doe Law]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Dalembert G, Brosco JP | title = Do politics affect prevalence? An overview and the case of cerebral palsy | journal = Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics | volume = 34 | issue = 5 | pages = 369–374 | date = June 2013 | pmid = 23751888 | doi = 10.1097/DBP.0b013e31829455d8 | s2cid = 41883040 }}</ref>  Between 1990 and 2003, rates of cerebral palsy remained the same.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Paul |first1=Sudip |last2=Nahar |first2=Anjuman |last3=Bhagawati |first3=Mrinalini |last4=Kunwar |first4=Ajaya Jang |title=A Review on Recent Advances of Cerebral Palsy |journal=[[Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity]] |date=30 July 2022 |volume=2022 |pages=e2622310 |doi=10.1155/2022/2622310 |pmid=35941906 |pmc=9356840 |language=en |issn=1942-0900 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

As of 2005, advances in the care of pregnant mothers and their babies did not result in a noticeable decrease in CP. This is generally attributed to medical advances in areas related to the care of premature babies (which results in a greater survival rate). Only the introduction of quality medical care to locations with less-than-adequate medical care has shown any decreases. The incidence of CP increases with premature or very low-weight babies regardless of the quality of care.<ref name="bax_2005" /> {{as of|2016}}, there is a suggestion that both incidence and severity are slightly decreasing – more research is needed to find out if this is significant, and if so, which interventions are effective.<ref name="Shepherd et al 2016" />  It has been found that high-income countries have lower rates of children born with cerebral palsy than low or middle-income countries.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = McIntyre S, Goldsmith S, Webb A, Ehlinger V, Hollung SJ, McConnell K, Arnaud C, Smithers-Sheedy H, Oskoui M, Khandaker G, Himmelmann K | title = Global prevalence of cerebral palsy: A systematic analysis | journal = Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology | volume = 64 | issue = 12 | pages = 1494–1506 | date = December 2022 | pmid = 35952356 | doi = 10.1111/dmcn.15346 | pmc = 9804547 | s2cid = 251516376 }}</ref>

Prevalence of cerebral palsy is best calculated around the school entry age of about six years; the prevalence in the U.S. is estimated to be 2.4 out of 1000 children.<ref name="pmid17261678" />