Author(s)

Márcia Andreya Zanon^1,2, Amanda Kelly Martin Araújo¹, Edson V. C. Neto¹, Larissa C. Mendes¹, David Balbino Pascoal³, Euclides Maurício Trindade Filho^1,2,3*, Reidson Beiriz Verçosa⁴, Lysien Ivania Zambrano⁵, Janise Dal Pai⁶, José Cláudio da Silva^2,3,7

¹Faculdade Estácio de Sá de Alagoas, Maceió, Brasil.
²Universidade Estadual de Ciências da Saúde de Alagoas-UNCISAL, Maceió, Brasil.
³Centro Universitário CESMAC, Maceió, Brasil.
⁴Centro Universitário UNIT, Maceió, Brasil.
⁵Facultad de Ciencias Medicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
⁶Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo-UNIFESP, Sao Paulo, Brasil.
⁷Faculdade UNIRB de Arapiraca, Arapiraca, Brasil.

Background: Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders arising from a static damage or brain development defects occurring during fetal life and in the first months of life. Methods: The sample consisted of 800 individuals living in 50 districts of the city of Maceio. A standardized questionnaire was applied. Results: The prevalence of cerebral palsy in the sample was 5/1000. All were born at term, 75% were male, 50% had severe cerebral palsy and 50% was moderate. 75% had quadriplegia and 25% had diplegia. Fifty percent of the cerebral palsy was caused by meningitis and 50% for prolonged labor. Conclusions: The prevalence of cerebral palsy in Maceió is 140.38% higher than the highest prevalence found in developed countries, predominantly in low-income and related to postnatal infection in families.

Cerebral Palsy, Epidemiology, Motor Disorders, Muscle Weakness, Muscle Tonus

Zanon, M. , Araújo, A. , Neto, E. , Mendes, L. , Pascoal, D. , Filho, E. , Verçosa, R. , Zambrano, L. , Pai, J. and da Silva, J. (2018) Prevalence and Characterization of the Cerebral Palsy in Maceió, a Northeast City of Brazil. World Journal of Neuroscience, 8, 333-341. doi: 10.4236/wjns.2018.83026.