Cerebral palsy in Victoria, Australia: Mortality and causes of death

Abstract

Objective: To study the causes of death and the characteristics of children with cerebral palsy that had died over a 25-year period in Victoria, Australia. Methodology: Names of children that had died were collected from the Victorian Cerebral Palsy Register. Their hospital records were studied and information was gathered about age of death, motor impairment, the presence or absence of associated disabilities and cause of death. Results: One hundred and fifty-five children had died during the period 1970-95. The majority of children had severe spastic quadriplegia, intellectual disability and epilepsy. The predominant cause of death was pneumonia, although for many children who died at home..