CLINICAL PROFILE OF CHILDREN ATTEND AT A REFERRAL SERVICE FOR CEREBRAL PALSY

Abstract

Purpouse: To describe the clinical profile, the presence of risk factors and probable etiologies of cerebral palsy (CP) in individuals enrolled at the referral center. Methods: Observational cross-sectional study to describe the characteristics of the population in a reference center at Salvador- BA, through review of medical records, direct interview with the person responsible for the individual with CP and medical documents presented by that responsible. Results:  There were 65 participants in the study, 55% male, mean age 12 years. Among prenatal risk factors, symptoms of vaginal bleeding in 22.6% and infectious diseases in 32.1% of pregnancies. In the studied population, 37 individuals had quadriplegic CP, 31 participants were not walking and the most prevalent comorbidities were seizures (52.3%) and visual disturbances (45.3%). Conclusions:  In the present study, the most severe subtype of CP, spastic quadriplegic, was the most frequent in male patients. The presence of risk factors possibly modifiable through prevention and health promotion in primary care and obstetric centers was observed, such as: iron deficiency anemia, alcohol intake and premature birth. A significant portion of patients underwent orthopedic surgical procedures.