A new study warns the risk of stroke and asthma is extremely high for adults with cerebral palsy. The study was conducted by a team from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Brunel University London.
For the study, researchers collected data of 1,700 adults with cerebral palsy to the data of 5,000 adults without cerebral palsy to find out how many of them developed non-infectious diseases like asthma or stroke.
Patients with cerebral palsy had a 75 per cent chance of developing a non-communicable disease. They also had a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and chronic respiratory disease. However, they were not likely to develop diabetes or cancer.
While cerebral palsy is not a progressive medical condition, many young adults who live with it say it becomes difficult to walk over time and it could also lead to chronic health conditions.
"Until recently, we did not know much about the consequences of ageing with cerebral palsy. Our findings highlight the need for further research into the management of non-communicable diseases in this population," Jennifer Ryan, the study's lead author and StAR Research Lecturer at RCSI and Senior Lecturer at Brunel University London, told a news portal. Adding, "Recent clinical guidelines for adults with cerebral palsy in the UK recommended that pathways need to be developed that allow adults with cerebral palsy access to a multidisciplinary team. However, adults with cerebral palsy in Ireland lack access to co-ordinated multidisciplinary support."
Researchers hope the findings change the way people look at the condition."Our results clearly emphasise the importance of reframing how cerebral palsy is traditionally viewed; to recognise that it is not simply a condition of childhood. Health services should be designed and delivered with the aim of supporting people with cerebral palsy to be healthy and active throughout their lives," co-author of the study Dr Neil O'Connell, a physiotherapist and senior lecturer at Brunel University London, told a news portal.
Early intervention may help improve the quality of patients' lives. That means being able to have access to physiotherapists, orthopaedic surgeons and neurologists, who have knowledge of the condition.
The study's findings were originally published in the Neurology.
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