The name may not sound something serious; I mean who would seriously think that there is a “real” shaken baby syndrome? Well, there is, and in fact this is considered as a physical child abuse that occurs when a baby or a child is violently shaken creating a whiplash-type motion that causes acceleration-deceleration injuries.
This SBS is accompanied with a variety of signs and symptoms – mind to severe, and nonspecific to obvious head trauma. And just like any other illnesses and disorders, no one can tell that a child has an SBS with just one sign or symptom visible. It has wide array symptoms to watch out for such as irritability, change of behavior, loss of consciousness, pale or blue skin, vomiting, broken bones, neck and/or spine injuries, brain bruising and/or swelling, seizures, drowsiness, hypothermia, slow heart rate, subdural hemorrhage, and still many more. Due to the complexity of determining this syndrome, tons of tests must be done, and observations must be critically monitored.
Some causes of SBS are the following: infanticide, child abuse, throwing baby in the air, and jogging with a baby in a backpack. These may sound not that serious especially the last two, but these are real and based on many studies.
The treatment for this syndrome is limited, far from the wide array of symptoms victims who are diagnosed or thought to have SBS may only be checked and treated in the hospital and no studies yet have proven home remedies.
Babies are cute and cuddly, and many people end up not getting enough of their cuteness, but let’s not get that simple adornment turn into a syndrome that can cause major difficulties to these delightful babies. And as for the children, in the first place they should not be abused; because it would cause them pain, give them trauma, and it is simply not right.
Let us all keep in mind that early knowledge about these things will give us the power to avoid them.
