Incidence of Cerebral Palsy in Yorkshire by ethnicity and area deprivation

Objective. This short report investigates variations in the incidence of cerebral palsy in children by broad ethnic group and area deprivation Design. An observational study of the incidence of cerebral palsy in children registered on the Yorkshire Cerebral Palsy Register during 1984-1999. Denominators for rates were derived from live birth counts with estimates by South Asian and non-South Asian ethnicities. Linkages to area deprivation were achieved using postcode of residence. Results. 11.1% of the 1,462 registered cases were of South Asian ethnic origin. The overall rate of cerebral palsy was 2.4 per 1,000 live births. This rate was 2.2 per 1,000 live births in the non-South Asian population but significantly higher at 4.3 per 1,000 live births in the South Asian population. A higher proportion of cases in both ethnic groups live in areas of high deprivation. Conclusion. There is a significantly higher incidence rate of cerebral palsy in the South Asian population in Yorkshire. Now that ethnicity coding is improving this work can be updated using Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) which is important given ongoing population growth in the South Asian ethnic group.