Epidemiological and Functional Profile of Children With Cerebral Palsy Assisted at the Unicamp Clinical Hospital

Kemle Caroline Merhy,1 Marina Fischer de Oliveira,1 Geruza Perlato Bella,2 Claudia Vianna Maurer-Morelli1,3 1Departamento de Genética Médica e Medicina Genômica, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil; 2Department of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, University Hospital, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil; 3Brazilian Institute of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, Campinas, BrazilCorrespondence: Claudia Vianna Maurer-Morelli, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Rua Tessália Vieira de Camargo, 126 Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Barão Geraldo, Campinas, SP, CEP: 13083-887, Brazil, Email [email protected]: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is caused by multiple risk factors bringing motor and postural control disruptions with a variety of clinical signs.Objective: To describe the epidemiological and functional profile of children with CP attended at the Physiotherapy Clinic for Motor Rehabilitation (PCMR) of the Clinical Hospital (CH) of the University of Campinas (Unicamp).Methods: Children up to 12 years old with CP were included. Epidemiological data were collected through interviews, followed by the scales: Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI), Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66), International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health for Children and Youth with CP (ICF-CY-CP) Core Sets, and the GMFCS Family Report Questionnaire.Results: A total of 37 children were assessed, with an average age of 7 years. It was found that 87% of the mothers received prenatal care, 61% of the children were born at a low weight, with 36% of cases being extreme or very premature births. The primary perinatal complication was neonatal anoxia (50%), while the most common postnatal complication was stroke (11%). CP was diagnosed at an average age of 12 months, with bilateral spastic CP being the most prevalent (63%). Orthopedic complications were present in 80% of cases, even though only 39% of children had orthopedic monitoring. In the functional analysis, 65% were classified at levels IV and V of the GMFCS, highly correlated with GMFCS Family Report Questionnaire (Kappa = 0.88; 95% IC 0.79– 0.96). The scores of 3 and 4 on the ICF-CY-CP Core Sets in most activities involving motor functions, along with scores below 30 on the PEDI, indicate severe motor impairment.Conclusion: Parents had a realistic perception of the children’s functionality. The results highlight the severity of motor impairment in these children and emphasize the need for multidisciplinary assistance.Keywords: motor function analysis, physiotherapy, epidemiological profile