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November 24, 2009
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Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS)

Medical Author: David Perlstein, MD, FAAP
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

What is shaken baby syndrome?

Shaken baby syndrome is the term that is used to describe a form of child abuse caused by vigorously shaking an infant, often in anger, to get a child to stop crying or whining. It usually occurs in children less than 1 year of age, and the violent shaking often results in severe and permanent brain injury, spinal-cord injuries, bleeding in the eyes (retinal hemorrhages), and even death.

How common is shaken baby syndrome?

There are no accurate statistics, but experts estimate the incidence to be between 1,000 to 1,500 infants per year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of the almost 2,000 children who die from abuse or neglect each year, shaken baby syndrome accounts for 10%-12% of them. Most commonly, the victim of shaken baby syndrome is between 3 and 8 months old; however, it has been reported in newborns and in children up to 4 years of age. In addition, 25% of all children diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome die from their injuries.



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Shaken Baby Syndrome

Introduction to nausea and vomiting

Nausea and vomiting are symptoms of an underlying disease and not a specific illness. Nausea is the sensation that the stomach wants to empty itself, while vomiting (emesis) or throwing up, is the act of forcible emptying of the stomach.

Vomiting is a violent act in which the stomach has to overcome the pressures that are normally in place to keep food and secretions within the stomach. The stomach almost turns itself inside out - forcing itself into the lower portion of the esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach) during a vomiting episode.

What causes nausea or vomiting?

There are numerous causes of nausea and vomiting. These symptoms may be due to the following:

  • acute gastritis
  • central causes (signals from the brain)
  • association with other illnesses remote from the stomach
  • medications and medical treatments
  • ...

Read the Nausea and Vomiting article »









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