Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jan 8;11(1):e044614.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044614.

Population-based study on the prevalence and clinical profile of adults with cerebral palsy in Northern Ireland

Karen McConnell  1 , Emma Livingstone  2 , Oliver Perra  1 , C Kerr  3
Affiliations

Population-based study on the prevalence and clinical profile of adults with cerebral palsy in Northern Ireland

Karen McConnell et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to report the prevalence and clinical characteristics of adults with cerebral palsy (CP) in a geographically defined region of the UK.

Design and setting: Cross-sectional study using the Northern Ireland Cerebral Palsy Register (NICPR).

Participants: All validated cases known to the NICPR, born 1981-2001 and alive and resident in Northern Ireland at age 19 years were included.

Results: The study included 1218 persons with CP aged 19-39 years, 46 of whom died in adulthood. The prevalence of CP was 2.38 per 1000. The majority of cases had spastic CP (n=1132/1218, 93%) and could walk (n=949/1218, 78%). Those that died in adulthood typically had bilateral spastic CP (n=39/46) and used a wheelchair (n=40/46).

Conclusion: The prevalence of CP in adults is similar to other common neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. The needs of adults with CP vary widely with almost half having two or more associated impairments that may require multiprofessional and multiagency coordination. Results from this study can be used to inform transformation of health and care services for adults with CP.

Keywords: adult neurology; epidemiology; rehabilitation medicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram showing inclusion of participants born during 1981–2001. NICPR, Northern Ireland Cerebral Palsy Register.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Rosenbaum P, Paneth N, Leviton A, et al. A report: the definition and classification of cerebral palsy April 2006. Dev Med Child Neurol Suppl 2007;109:8–14. - PubMed
    1. Lomax MR, Shrader MW. Orthopedic conditions in adults with cerebral palsy. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am 2020;31:171–83. 10.1016/j.pmr.2019.09.013 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mudge S, Rosie J, Stott S, et al. Ageing with cerebral palsy; what are the health experiences of adults with cerebral palsy? A qualitative study. BMJ Open 2016;6:e012551. 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012551 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. van Gorp M, Hilberink SR, Noten S, et al. Epidemiology of cerebral palsy in adulthood: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the most frequently studied outcomes. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2020;101:1041–52. 10.1016/j.apmr.2020.01.009 - DOI - PubMed
    1. van der Slot WMA, Benner JL, Brunton L, et al. Pain in adults with cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data. Ann Phys Rehabil Med 2020. 10.1016/j.rehab.2019.12.011. [Epub ahead of print: 13 Feb 2020]. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types