Cerebral Palsy Life Expectancy in Adults

Cerebral palsy is a condition that affects movement and posture. It’s often caused by damage to a developing brain. When it comes to cerebral palsy in adults, life expectancy can be affected by certain features of the condition. But is cerebral palsy life threatening? In this post, we will review what you need to know about life expectancy of adults with cerebral palsy.

Is Cerebral Palsy Fatal?

Cerebral palsy life expectancy is not affected by the condition itself. Common causes of death among adults with cerebral palsy are pneumonia, aspiration, seizures, accidents, and infections. These conditions can be affected by some features of cerebral palsy. In the next section, we will review some of these features and how they affect cerebral palsy life expectancy in adults.

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What Affects Life Expectancy of Cerebral Palsy in Adults?

Life expectancy for adults with cerebral palsy can be affected by the following factors:

• Cognitive ability. Some people with cerebral palsy have average cognitive abilities but those with severe cognitive deficits often have trouble communicating, and can be highly dependent on others to manage certain health conditions. These communication problems can make it difficult to express when they are in distress, which can be life threatening if these issues are not addressed in a timely manner.
• Mobility. Problems with mobility can include balance problems, coordination difficulties, muscle weakness, muscle atrophy, spasms and stiffness. These issues can lead to risks of falls or injuries. Naturally, this can lead to head trauma, spinal fractures, and severe abdominal injuries. These may require some surgical intervention, which can be risky for those with cerebral palsy.
• Musculoskeletal disabilities. Bone malformations, such as ones that occur in the spine, can develop due to impaired motor control and a worst prognosis can occur due to severe bone deformities. Some deformities that develop in the lower spine can affect bladder control, sometimes leading to recurrent urinary tract infections.
• Respiratory impairment. Spine and nerve problems, especially those affecting the upper spine — can make it difficult to breathe and cough adequately. This can increase risk for pneumonia. Combine breathing problems with impaired cognitive abilities preventing themselves from communicating these issues and life expectancy continues to decrease.
• Seizures. Epilepsy occurs in about one-third of people with cerebral palsy. While you can have an average lifespan when experiencing seizures with cerebral palsy, there are still some risks to be concerned about. Due to status epilepticus, which are seizures that can last longer than five minutes or when one experiences more than one seizure in a five-minute period, there is an increased risk of death. These types of seizures must be treated with emergency anti-seizure medications. Furthermore, one rare complication of epilepsy is sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP).
• Swallowing and eating difficulties. Difficulties with eating can cause malnutrition and can ultimately impact life expectancy. Additionally, problems with swallowing can lead to problems with choking and aspiration.
• Vision problems. Many vision issues can be resolved with lenses and interventional procedures but these issues can also affect safety, especially if the person with cerebral palsy also has motor and cognitive problems.

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