Epidemiology Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Epidemiology, including details on twin studies, statistics, environmental and genetic factors.

The descriptive epidemiology of cerebral palsy.

Paneth N, Hong T, Korzeniewski S

Department of Epidemiology, College of Human Medicine, B 636 West Fee Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48823, USA. paneth@msu.edu

The prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 per 1000 live births with little or no variation among western nations, although data from the Americas are sparse. Time trends in overall CP prevalence for the past 40 years are most notable for their stability, but a modest increase in prevalence probably occurred in the last decades of the twentieth century. European countries have pioneered the development of CP registries, and as a result, CP is a condition that is enumerated regularly in several parts of the world. The United States has no CP registries, although ongoing surveillance of CP, along with other developmental disabilities, is performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in metropolitan Atlanta.

Published 12 June 2006 in Clin Perinatol, 33(2): 251-67.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Epidemiology Research Today. All Rights Reserved.