Cerebral palsy in Saudi children.

Objective: To describe the clinical profile, and identify its risk factors, of cerebral palsy (CP) as seen in a cohort of consecutive Saudi children aged between one and 3 years of age prospectively over a one-year period.

Methods: Saudi children aged 1-3 years with CP (diagnosis based on specified criteria) were selected from children presenting to the Neurology service at the King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with delayed milestones, seizures, mental retardation and difficulty with walking and evaluated at 3-monthly intervals for one year from January to December 2000. Information on gestation duration, labor and delivery, birth weight and the medical history of the mothers was obtained.