CHILDHOOD MOTOR DEFICIENCIES - A NEED FOR A NOSOLOGIC CLARIFICATION IN EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES

In order to clarify the epidemiological research on childhood motor de ficiency in France there is a need to better differenciate the two ter ms used to define this pathology: the French term ''infirmite motrice cerebrale'' (IMC) and the English term ''cerebral palsy'' (CP). The di stinction between IMC and CP is highlighted on the basis of clinical e xamples. IMC recovers motor deficiencies which are quite similar, howe ver it can be very difficult to control the variations in its use. CP has the advantage of a greater exhaustivity as well as a greater repro ductibility for epidemiological records. Recently a study was conducte d for measuring the prevalence of childhood deficiencies in France, an d the results were expressed either as IMC or as CP. When using the CP definition the prevalence rate in France was found to be close to tha t of foreign studies (1.9 per thousand). In studies with etiological p urposes involving several countries, a preliminary agreement on the de finition of the clinical groups is absolutely necessary.