What does cause blue baby syndrome? 1.
Answers
Answer:
Blue baby syndrome can refer to a number of conditions that affect oxygen transportation in the blood, resulting in blueness of the skin in babies. Historically, the term "blue baby syndrome" has referred to babies with one of two conditions:
Cyanotic heart disease, which is a category of congenital heart defect that results in low levels of oxygen in the blood. This can be caused by either reduced blood flow to the lungs or mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood.[1]
Methemoglobinemia, which is a disease defined by high levels of methemoglobin in the blood. Increased levels of methemoglobin prevent oxygen from being released into the tissues and result in hypoxemia.[2]
Answer:
The baby takes on a bluish hue because of poorly oxygenated blood. Normally, blood is pumped from the heart to the lungs, where it receives oxygen. The blood is circulated back through the heart and then throughout the body.
When there’s a problem with the heart, lungs, or blood, blood may not be oxygenated properly. This causes the skin to take on a blue color. The lack of oxygenation can occur for several reasons.
Explanation:
Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF)
While a rare congenital heart defect, TOF is a primary cause of blue baby syndrome. It’s actually a combination of four heart defects that can reduce blood flow to the lungs and allow oxygen-poor blood to flow out into the body.
TOF includes conditions like having a hole in the wall that separates the left and right ventricles of the heart and a muscle obstructing the flow of blood from the right ventricle into the pulmonary, or lung, artery.
Methemoglobinemia
This condition stems from nitrate poisoning. It is can happen in babies who are fed infant formula mixed with well water or homemade baby food made with nitrate-rich foods, like spinach or beets.
The condition occurs most often in babies under 6 months of age. When this young, babies have more sensitive and underdeveloped gastrointestinal tracts, which are more likely to convert nitrate into nitrite. As nitrite circulates in the body, it produces methemoglobin. While methemoglobin is oxygen-rich, it doesn’t release that oxygen into the bloodstream. This gives babies with the condition their bluish hue.
Methemoglobinemia can also rarely be congenital.
Other congenital heart defects
Genetics cause most congenital heart defects. For example, babies born with Down syndrome often have heart problems.
Issues with maternal health, such as underlying and poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, can also result in a baby developing heart defects.
Some heart defects are also caused for no apparent reason at all. Only a few congenital heart defects cause cyanosis.