Athetoid Cerebral Palsy

 

Athetoid cerebral palsy is also known as dyskinetic CP.  In this type of cerebral palsy emotional stress can increase the frequency of movements and symptoms disappear when the patient is asleep.  Some patients may also have the associated condition dysarthria in which they have problems coordinating the muscle movements involved in speech.

 

Athetoid cerebral palsy is known to affect around 10 –20% of patients.  The United Cerebral Palsy association estimates that around half a million Americans have CP.  Although medical advances have been made in recent years occurrences of cerebral infant palsy have slightly increased in the last three decades.  One possible cause of this increase is the higher number of premature babies surviving intensive care.