Does preterm birth increase the risk of cerebral palsy? Yes, babies born too early, especially those born before 27 weeks, face a much higher chance of developing cerebral palsy than full-term babies.
Cerebral palsy is a condition that affects movement and muscle control because of damage to the developing brain. It happens in about 0.3 percent of all births overall. But for extremely preterm infants, the risk jumps up dramatically, making it 70 times more common in that group. A large study from the National Institutes of Health looked at nearly 7,000 children born very early across the United States. Out of those, 18.8 percent were later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The study covered data from 2008 to 2019 and found that the odds of cerebral palsy in these preterm babies rose by 11 percent each year on average.
This rise might sound worrying at first, but it ties to good changes in medicine. Doctors and hospitals have gotten better at saving the lives of the tiniest, most fragile preterm babies. Many of these infants would not have survived in the past, but now they do, even if they carry a higher risk for cerebral palsy. Better tools for spotting the condition early also play a role in the higher numbers reported.
Preterm birth harms the brain in specific ways that lead to cerebral palsy. For example, white matter injury is the most common brain damage seen in these cases, showing up in nearly half of children with cerebral palsy who had preterm birth. This type of injury often links to spastic cerebral palsy, where muscles get stiff. Other problems like bleeding in the brain’s ventricles, infections after birth, lung disease needing long-term breathing help, and death of brain tissue near the ventricles all raise the risk even more.
Not every preterm baby gets cerebral palsy, and some kids with the condition have normal brain scans on MRI. Still, preterm birth stands out as a key factor. Worldwide, about 10 percent of babies are born preterm, and this group deals with serious brain issues more often. Early detection tools, like new brain monitoring caps for newborns, aim to spot risks sooner in both preterm and full-term infants so treatments can start right away.
Other issues can add to the risks during pregnancy, but preterm birth itself is a major driver.
Sources
https://childrenscerebralpalsy.com/research-update-increased-prevalence-of-cerebral-palsy-in-extremely-preterm-infants/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12754938/
https://www.droracle.ai/articles/597766/how-can-a-pregnant-individual-with-cerebral-palsy-cp
https://www.cerebralpalsyguide.com/blog/new-swimming-cap-early-diagnosis-of-cerebral-palsy-in-infants/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12699354/
