Lack of oxygen to the brain.

When the cells of the brain receive little or no oxygen, irreversible damage is often the result. Hypoxia is the term applied to oxygen starvation of the brain; when the lack of oxygen is more generalized in the whole body, the term anoxia is used. Hypoxia may affect the fetus prior to birth, or may occur during the birth process itself. Premature separation of the placenta is one of the primary reasons for the oxygen supply to be cut off to a fetus during birth. Hypoxia is believed to be a contributing factor in cerebral palsy and other developmental disorders.