Mortality due to cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and cancer in adults with cerebral palsy.
Jennifer M Ryan, Mark D Peterson, Nicola Ryan and 6 others
PMID 30727025WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with cerebral palsy in England died at higher rates from respiratory and circulatory diseases than the general population.
Respiratory deaths were most elevated. Cancer mortality was not significantly higher. These findings highlight a need for vigilance regarding heart and lung health in this group.
Key findings
01Patients with CP had a significantly increased risk of death from diseases of the respiratory system and diseases of the circulatory system, but not from cancer.
02The overall risk of death from any cause was significantly higher in adults with CP compared to the general population.
03Within circulatory diseases, there was a significant increase in deaths from cerebrovascular disease, but not from ischaemic heart disease.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study had a relatively small sample size and a small number of observed deaths, leading to wide confidence intervals and limited ability to explore specific disease subtypes. Data on the severity of motor impairment was not available, so the study could not examine how CP severity affects mortality risk. The study could not differentiate between mortality risk due to acute and chronic respiratory diseases. The cohort was drawn from primary care records, which may not capture the full spectrum of severity in the CP population.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Brunel University London's Research Catalyst Fund. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that cancer risk is negligible in adults with CP. The study found no statistically significant increase in cancer deaths, but the risk estimate (1.42 times expected) was close to previous findings, and the small number of cancer deaths meant the study lacked power to detect a significant difference.