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
. 2025 Dec 4.
doi: 10.1111/dmcn.70080. Online ahead of print.

Cerebral palsy in Brazil: A multicentre, cross-sectional, descriptive study

Eliana Valverde Magro Borigato  1 , Bruno Leonardo Scofano Dias  1 , Erica Ueno Imamura  1 , Sandro Barbosa de Oliveira  1 , Erika Carvalho Pires Arci  1 , Alessandra Lemos de Carvalho  1 , Acácia Pinheiro Álvares Fernandes da Silva  1 , Fernanda Jordão Pinto Marques  1 , Lucia Willadino Braga  1 ; SARAH Pediatric Rehabilitation Team  1
Collaborators, Affiliations

Cerebral palsy in Brazil: A multicentre, cross-sectional, descriptive study

Eliana Valverde Magro Borigato et al. Dev Med Child Neurol. .

Abstract

Aim: To describe individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) followed at the SARAH Network of Rehabilitation Hospitals in Brazil.

Method: This was a multicentre, cross-sectional, descriptive study. Individuals diagnosed analysis (n = 17 771).

Results: The mean age at the first visit was 3 years 5 months (SD = 3 years 1 month), with 55.3% participants being male. At birth, 52.0% had normal weight and 50.3% were born at term. Perinatal risk factors were the most prevalent: preterm birth (48.4%); low birthweight (48.0%); and hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (40.1%). Spastic CP (75.5%), bilateral involvement (75.9%), and Gross Motor Function Classification System levels III to V (57.8%) were predominant.

Interpretation: Demographic and clinical data are comparable with previous reports from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite clinical advances in prenatal and perinatal care, most individuals with CP had severely affected motor function. As the prevalence of CP is higher in LMICs, and considering the direct influence of psychosocial factors on children with CP, it is essential to support multicentre and national registries in LMICs to adapt family-centred rehabilitation planning guidelines.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. McIntyre S, Goldsmith S, Webb A, Ehlinger V, Hollung SJ, McConnell K, et al. Global prevalence of cerebral palsy: a systematic analysis. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2022;64(12):1494–506. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.15346.
    1. Bearden DR, Monokwane B, Khurana E, Baier J, Baranov E, Westmoreland K, et al. Pediatric cerebral palsy in Botswana: etiology, outcomes, and comorbidities. Pediatr Neurol. 2016;59: 23–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2016.03.002.
    1. Jahan I, Muhit M, Hardianto D, Laryea F, Chhetri AB, Smithers‐Sheedy H, et al. Epidemiology of cerebral palsy in low‐ and middle‐income countries: preliminary findings from an international multi‐centre cerebral palsy register. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2021;63(11): 1327–1336. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.14926.
    1. Dan B, Rosenbaum P, Carr L, Gough M, Coughlan J, Nweke N. Proposed updated description of cerebral palsy. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2025;67(6):700–709. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.16274.
    1. Goldsmith S, Smithers‐Sheedy H, Almasri N, Andersen GL, Diviney L, Gincota EB, et al. Cerebral palsy registers around the world: A survey. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2024;66(6):765–77. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.15798.

LinkOut - more resources