INFANTILE SPASTIC HEMIPLEGIA I. INCIDENCE

Abstract
The following facts seem to emerge concerning the nature and clinical correlations of various factors in the infantile spastic hemiplegic population. A. The mean age for this series at the time of first examination was 6.5 years; means are consistent between large groupings where comparisons were made. B. There were more right than left spastic hemiplegics (5:4). C. Spastic hemiplegia occurred more often in males than in females (5:4). D. The Negro subjects were distributed fairly randomly through the present spastic hemiplegic population; the nonsignificant differences in distribution which occurred were thought to be related to geographical and socio-economic factors and not to race, per se. E. The incidence of postnatally acquired cases was approximately ⅓ of the spastic hemiplegic series as compared to 1/10 of the total cerebral palsied population. F. The incidence of convulsions in this series was significantly higher than that reported for the general population, for all types of brain injury, for mixed spastic groups, and for most other series of spastic hemiplegics. G. Congenital and postnatally acquired cases, convulsive and non-convulsive cases, and males and females were all distributed randomly between the left and right spastic hemiplegics of this series. H. Congenital and postnatally acquired cases, as well as convulsive and non-convulsive cases, were distributed at random between the males and females of this series. I. The postnatally acquired cases of spastic hemiplegia showed a significantly greater incidence of convulsions than the congenital group.
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