New research into strokes suffered by infants and children may lead to answers for cerebral palsy suffers.

Recent findings reveal that childhood strokes are much more common than previously assumed. In response, the American Heart Association has issued its first ever guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of strokes in young children. They do note, however, that this development is not due to an increase in childhood strokes, but rather to an increase in medical knowledge. For example, doctors now believe that cerebral palsy is a kind of stroke.

If it is, there may be hope down the line. Professor Susan Levine of the University of Chicago and Dr. Deborah Gaebler-Spira at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago have both pointed out that while a childhood stroke can be devastating, there is a better chance for recovery and brain adaptation than in adults.

The main encouragement in this research is the news that children may be able to transfer functions from the injured side of the brain to the healthy side. In fact, children retain this ability all the way up to age thirteen.

The most common birth defects associated with strokes in infants and children are sickle cell disease and heart defects.

A study conducted in Norway and published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicate children born prematurely suffer increased risks of mental, social and physical impairments, including cerebral palsy. Lawyers are able to help a family seek compensation for the care of a child after birth trauma, but it is just as important that families be aware of risk factors.

Of the babies within the most preterm category, the risk of cerebral palsy increased over time, reflecting higher rates of survival among these vulnerable infants. Overall, 6 percent of those born between 28 and 30 weeks and 9 percent of those born between 23 and 27 weeks had cerebral palsy, a statistically significant difference compared with full-term births.

Dr. Dag Moster, lead author of the study at the University of Bergentold the Reuters Health news agency that an ongoing study of children born in Norway in 1999-2000 demonstrates a survival rate to 5 years of age of 80 percent among 23-27 weekers, a notable increase compared to the 20 percent survival rate in our study. "Sadly, the rates of cerebral palsy in these two studies are very much the same," Moster commented.

The results also showed significant trends for mental retardation; disorders of psychological development, behavior and emotion; and severe vision or hearing impairment or epilepsy.

He also noted the study shows a significant increase in risks even among moderate preterm children.

There is good news out of Duke University for some parents of children with cerebral palsy. Lawyers are able to help you seek compensation for the care of your child after their birth trauma, but there is still no greater resolution than actually getting to see a child recover from this debilitating disease.

Before her parents enrolled her in the Duke University experimental procedure, 2-year-old Chloe Levine had very limited use of the right side of her body and was looking at almost twenty years of physical therapy. Luckily Ryan and Jenny Levine had paid to bank Chloe’s umbilical cord blood after her birth, from which researchers at Duke were able to extract stem cells to repair Chloe’s damaged brain tissue.

Since that milestone procedure 2 months ago, Chloe has made a 50 percent recovery and can now walk, run and do sign language.

Unfortunately, this treatment is only available to parents who opted to bank their baby’s umbilical cord blood at birth.

Currently it costs about $2,000 to bank an infant’s cord blood, but Dr. Manny Alvarez of Fox News predicts that cost will soon drop. Cord blood is most useful for the person it came from, but can also be used to help ailing siblings.

Cerebral palsy is a devastating and often preventable disease for which there is still no cure. If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, lawyers in our office are ready to help you.