Identifying Shaken Baby Syndrome

Signs of Shaken Baby Syndrome may vary from mild to severe. The onset of symptoms is immediate; however, in many cases there is no external sign of injury.

Symptoms of Shaken Baby Syndrome that you may see:

• lack of energy, sluggish

• extreme irritability, annoyed, impatient

• inability to suck or swallow

• decreased appetite, not feeding like usual

• vomiting, more than just spitting up after eating

• difficulty breathing or short shallow breaths

• rigidity or posturing, including abnormal bending of the arms, clenched fists, extended legs, severe arching of the back, or head thrown backwards

• inability of eyes to focus or unequal size of pupils

• seizures, may lose consciousness and experience convulsions

• coma, deep and prolonged unconsciousness

Injuries your pediatrician may find:

• intracranial bleeding, bleeding within the skull

• cerebral edema, excess accumulation of water in brain

• retinal hemorrhages, bleeding of blood vessels in the retina or membrane in the back of the eye

• rib fractures, break or fracture in one or more of the bones making up the rib cage

• fractures of long bones, break or fracture in the femur, tibia, or other long bones

• skull fractures, break or fracture in the skull

Long-term effects may include:

• severe brain injury or damage

• learning disabilities and/or behavior disorders

• impaired motor or cognitive skills

• visual impairment or any kind of vision loss

• paralysis or loss of muscle function for one or more muscle groups

• seizure disorder, where the brain’s activity is periodically disturbed and it results in some degree of temporary brain dysfunction

• death