The clinical presentation of Cerebral Palsy in children in rural Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

Introduction: Cerebral palsy is a common neurological disorder with a prevalence of between 2 and 3 per 1000 live births globally and up 10 to per 1000 in rural South Africa. Children with cerebral palsy present with different tonal subtypes, limb distributions, co-morbidities and gross motor functioning. In South Africa, a large proportion of children with cerebral palsy present with spastic quadriplegia and limited gross motor function, however, studies have been conducted at tertiary hospitals and not in rural areas, thus little is known about the presentation of children with CP in these areas.