There’s a peculiar moment every time a medical student asks during rounds:
“Sir, what causes Cerebral Palsy?”
And as I pause to answer, Dr. Faisal Afridi usually smirks from the corner—because he knows I’m about to pull out my favorite mnemonic:
Cerebral Palsy Risk Factors Mnemonic
Here’s the quick table for the five key risk factors of Cerebral Palsy — primed for recall during ward rounds, viva exams, or those 3 a.m. pre-call coffee-fueled cram sessions.
| Letter | Risk Factor | Clinical Pearl |
|---|---|---|
| P | Prematurity | < 37 weeks gestation = immature white matter 🧠 = increased risk of PVL |
| A | Asphyxia (Perinatal Hypoxia-Ischemia) | Classic culprit — think meconium-stained AF, low Apgar, or need for resus at birth |
| L | Low Birth Weight | < 2500g = higher CP risk; <1500g? Risk rockets 🚀 |
| S | Sepsis (Neonatal Infections) | Especially TORCH infections — CMV is the usual suspect in our part of the world 🦠 |
| Y | Yellows (Severe Neonatal Jaundice / Kernicterus) | Unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia + poor follow-up = basal ganglia damage 🔶 |
🧠 A Tale from Tump (Balochistan)
I once saw a 4-year-old boy from Tump, brought in with spastic diplegia. His birth history read like a case report in the making:
- Born at 30 weeks,
- Apgar 4 at 1 min,
- NICU admission for sepsis,
- Severe jaundice on day 3 that wasn’t phototherapy’d because the nearest bilirubinometer was 300 km away.
Four out of five letters of “P.A.L.S.Y” checked off. 💔
We looped in Dr. Bilal Chaudhary, who confirmed the clinical diagnosis after assessing the reflexes and tone. I still remember his words:
“This isn’t rare — this is the under-reported face of rural neonatal care.”
🤓 Exam Tip (because I’ve sat through enough MRCPs for the both of us)
- Remember: Cerebral Palsy is a non-progressive motor disorder caused by early brain insult, not a genetic condition.
- Most common type = Spastic CP.
- Most common cause = Prematurity + Perinatal Asphyxia (that double whammy).
I’ve seen families from Dalbandin to Dera Bugti, each carrying their own grief, hope, and questions. As medics, we owe it to our communities to understand the causes, teach prevention, and fight for resources — even if that means chasing the lab guy for a bilirubin test at 2 a.m.
Because in Balochistan, sometimes saving brain matter is just a matter of remembering “P.A.L.S.Y.”
Stay sharp, stay kind — and never underestimate a well-placed mnemonic. 😉🧠
I hope that you find this medical useful in your studies/clinical practice. Happy learning! 🙂
Authored by:
Dr. Aurangzaib Qambrani
MBBS | PLAB | MRCP-UK
General Medicine, Gastroenterology & CCU
Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Hospital, Quetta 🏥
