Role of Nutrition in Cerebral Palsy

Harmanjot Kaur^1* & Roopjot Kochar²

¹Consultant Dietitian, SGS Ayurveda and Nutrition, Khanna, Punjab, India
²Director, SGS Ayurveda and Nutrition, Khanna, Punjab, India

Dr. Harmanjot Kaur, Consultant Dietitian, SGS Ayurveda and Nutrition, Khanna, Punjab, India.

Keywords: Cerebral Palsy; Calcium; Phosphorus; Bone Mineral Content; Nutrition; Growth; Malnutrition

Abstract

Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders of the development of movement and posture causing limitation of activity that lead to non-progressive disturbances that occurred in the developing fetal or infant brain. This group of syndromes ranges in severity and is the result of a variety of etiologies occurring in the prenatal, perinatal or postnatal period. Cerebral palsy is the most common form of chronic motor disorders in children. Other factors responsible for disability in children include prolonged immobilization, nutritional factors, pubertal disorder and chronic use of anticonvulsants. Children with cerebral palsy having functional neurological damage, often have several disorders along with disagreeing movements resulting in feeding difficulties. These children can have difficulties during all stages of eating and drinking including difficulties with self-feeding, chewing and swallowing. Although cerebral palsy is considered a non-progressive disorder, 25% of adult population with cerebral palsy experience decreases in mobility by the age of 40 years. It has been found that cerebral palsy is associated with decreasing mobility in young adulthood, increased loss of muscle mass, fatigue, progression of motor dysfunction and reduced physical activity.

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