Post-neonatally acquired cerebral palsy in Belgium: Aetiological and impairment profiles and associated risk factors. Abstracts of the 36th Annual Meeting of the EACD.

Post-neonatally acquired cerebral palsy in Belgium: Aetiological and impairment profiles and associated risk factors
E. Dhondt1, F. Plasschaert2,3, B. Dan4,5, M. Degelaen4,6, C. Dielman7, D. Dispa8, I. Ebetiuc9, S. Kenis10, C. Lombardo11, N. Smeets12, V. Wermenbol13, E. Ortibus1,14
1Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; 2Cerebral Palsy Reference Centre, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium; 3Human Structure and Repair, Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; 4Inter-University Reference Centre for Cerebral Palsy (CIRICU), Inkendaal Rehabilitation Hospital, Vlezenbeek, Belgium; 5Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; 6Department of Rehabilitation Research, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium; 7Cerebral Palsy Reference Centre Antwerp (CePRA), Ziekenhuis Netwerk Antwerpen Queen Paola Children's Hospital, Wilrijk, Belgium; 8Reference Centre for Cerebral Palsy (IMOC), Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium; 9Inter-University Reference Centre for Cerebral Palsy (CIRICU), Hospital De La Citadelle, Liege, Belgium; 10Cerebral Palsy Reference Centre Antwerp (CePRA), Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium; 11Inter-University Reference Centre for Cerebral Palsy (CIRICU), Queen Fabiola Children's University Hospital (QFCUH), Brussels, Belgium; 12Inter-University Reference Centre for Cerebral Palsy (CIRICU), University Hospital Brussels, Brussels, Belgium; 13Inter-University Reference Centre for Cerebral Palsy (CIRICU), Erasmus Hospital, Brussels, Belgium; 14Cerebral Palsy Reference Centre, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Introduction: Information on epidemiology of post-neonatally acquired cerebral palsy (CP) is important because the underlying causes should be largely preventable by public health interventions. This study aims to examine the aetiological and impairment profiles and associated risk factors of post-neonatal CP.

Participants and Methods: Children with CP born in Belgium between 2007 to 2014 were identified from the Belgian Cerebral Palsy Registry. The Surveillance of Cerebral Palsy in Europe classification of events contributing to post-neonatally acquired CP was used to allocate the primary event.

Results: A prenatal/perinatal origin was reported in 1267 children (92%, prevalence of 1.25 per 1000 live births), while a post-neonatal onset was identified in 111 children (8%, prevalence of 1.10 per 10000 live births). The primary event contributing to brain lesions underpinning post-neonatal CP was known in 92% of cases: infection accounted for 30.4%, head injury for 28.4%, and cerebrovascular accident for 18.6% of cases. Overall children with CP of post-neonatal onset showed a more severe impairment profile than children with CP of pre/perinatal origin: unable to walk, 21.8% versus 10.6%; severe intellectual impairment, 40.9% versus 19.1%; severe visual impairment, 39.1% versus 19.6%. The risk of post-neonatal CP increased with increasing gestational age (OR = 1.152) and among children with predominant grey matter injury (OR = 14.250) and miscellaneous MRI findings (OR = 10.125).

Conclusions: In order to evaluate the impact of public health actions targeted to prevent brain damaging events in the first 2 years after birth, it is necessary to continue to monitor the prevalence and characteristics of post-neonatal CP.