Korean Database of Cerebral Palsy: A Report on Characteristics of Cerebral Palsy in South Korea

OBJECTIVE To introduce the Korean Database of Cerebral Palsy (KDCP) and to provide the first report on characteristics of subjects with cerebral palsy (CP). METHODS The KDCP is a nationwide database of subjects with CP, which includes a total of 773 subjects. Characteristics such as demography, birth history, onset and type of CP, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, functional ability and accompanying impairments, were extracted and analyzed. RESULTS Preterm delivery and low birth weight were found in 59.51% and 60.28% of subjects, respectively. Postnatally acquired CP was 15.3%. The distribution of CP was 87.32%, 5.17%, and 1.81% for spastic, dyskinetic, and ataxic types, respectively. Functional ability was the worst in dyskinetic CP, as compared to other types of CP. Speech-language disorder (43.9%), ophthalmologic impairment (32.9%), and intellectual disability (30.3%) were the three most common accompanying impairments. The number of accompanying impairments was elevated in subjects with preterm birth and low birth weight. Brain MRI showed normal findings, malformations, and non-malformations in 10.62%, 9.56%, and 77.35% of subjects, respectively. Subjects with normal MRI findings had better functional ability than subjects with other MRI findings. MRI findings of a non-malformation origin, such as periventricular leukomalacia, were more common in subjects with preterm birth and low birth weight. CONCLUSION The KDCP and its first report are introduced in this report, wherein the KDCP established agreement on terminologies of CP. This study added information on the characteristics of subjects with CP in South Korea, which can now be compared to those of other countries and ethnicities.