Abstract

KATANGWE, Thembi J. et al. Paediatric cerebral palsy in South Africa: Prevention and care gaps at hospital level. Afr. j. disabil. (Online) [online]. 2024, vol.13, pp.1-9. ISSN 2226-7220.  https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v13i0.1449.

BACKGROUND: Population-based data show high proportions of severe cases of cerebral palsy (CP) in resource-poor regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, where most children have potentially preventable risk factors (factors that may increase the likelihood of CP occurrence but can be mitigated through medical interventions. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe the demographic and clinical profile of children living with CP accessing services at Tygerberg Hospital over a period of 10 years (2010-2020), identify the potential gaps in care (proportion of individuals in a country requiring but not receiving suboptimal or inadequate care), and comparison with a similar study at the same centre two decades ago. METHOD: This 10-year retrospective study investigated causes and morbidities in children with CP, attending a central hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa. RESULTS: A total of 613 children with CP were identified. Perinatal causes were predominant, especially in 57.7% (n = 354) of the cohort: perinatal asphyxia (41.1%) and preterm birth (16.6%). Postnatal causes constituted 15.2% (n = 93), which included tuberculous meningitis (3.6%) and bacterial meningitis (3.6%). The most common complications were intellectual impairment (61.8%; n = 379); epilepsy (30.8%; n = 189) and visual impairment (54.7%; n = 234). A third of the cohort had severe CP, classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System IV and V (38%). CONCLUSION: Most of the previously documented main drivers of CP are still present and the implementation of healthcare prevention strategies remains inadequate. CONTRIBUTION: This study provides longitudinal evidence to confirm that CP in a South African setting is associated with a high burden of potentially preventable causes.

Keywords : cerebral palsy; perinatal asphyxia; prematurity; care gaps; risk factors.

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