User:Jeremywarner/sandbox
| Blue baby syndrome | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Blue baby, cyanotic infant, cyanotic baby, cyanotic newborn |
 | |
| A cyanotic newborn, or "blue baby". Note the blue coloration of the fingertips. | |
| Specialty | Pediatrics, cardiac surgery |
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 born 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 increased levels of methemoglobin in the blood. Increased levels of methemoglobin cause oxygen molecules to tightly bind to hemoglobin molecules in red blood cells, preventing oxygen from being released into the tissues.[2]
Both of these conditions cause cyanosis, or a bluish discoloration of skin or mucous membranes.[3]
Causes[edit]
Cyanotic Heart Disease[edit]
A number of cardiovascular defects may lead to blue baby syndrome. The most common cyanotic heart defects include tetralogy of Fallot, persistent (or patent) truncus arteriosus, tricuspid atresia, transposition of the great vessels, and anomalous pulmonary venous connection.
Methemoglobinemia[edit]
Blue baby syndrome can also be caused by nitrates in drinking water leading to methemoglobinemia. Nitrates from polluted drinking water form compounds in the body that change haemoglobin to methemoglobin, decreasing the ability of blood to carry oxygen. In infants, the condition can be fatal.[citation needed] The sources of nitrate can include fertilizers used in agricultural lands, waste dumps or pit latrines.[4] For example, cases of blue baby syndrome have been reported in villages in Romania and Bulgaria, and were thought to be caused by groundwater polluted by nitrate leaching from pit latrines.[citation needed] Nitrate levels are subject to monitoring to comply with drinking water quality standards in the United States and other countries.[5][6] The link between blue baby syndrome and nitrates in drinking water is widely accepted, but some studies indicate that other contaminants, or dietary nitrate sources, may also play a role in the syndrome.[7][8][9]
Other causes[edit]
Other insults in neonates, such as respiratory distress syndrome, can also produce a "blue baby syndrome". Like methemoglobinemia, these are not structural lesions and are not regarded by most doctors as true "cyanotic lesions."
References[edit]
- ^ "Cyanotic heart disease: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia". medlineplus.gov. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ "Methemoglobinemia: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia". medlineplus.gov. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ Snider, H. L. (1990), Walker, H. Kenneth; Hall, W. Dallas; Hurst, J. Willis (eds.), "Cyanosis", Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations (3rd ed.), Butterworths, ISBN 9780409900774, PMID 21250208, retrieved 1 November 2019
- ^ Majumdar Deepanjan. "The Blue Baby Syndrome". Resonance. 8: 20–30. doi:10.1007/BF02840703.
- ^ "National Primary Drinking Water Regulations". EPA: United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- ^ "Water-related diseases". World Health Organization. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- ^ Fewtrell, Lorna (22 July 2004). "Drinking-Water Nitrate, Methemoglobinemia, and Global Burden of Disease: A Discussion". Environmental Health Perspectives. 112 (14): 1371–1374. doi:10.1289/ehp.7216. PMC 1247562. PMID 15471727.
- ^ van Grinsven, Hans JM; Ward, Mary H = 2006 (2006). "Does the evidence about health risks associated with nitrate ingestion warrant an increase of the nitrate standard for drinking water?". Environ Health. 5 (1): 26. doi:10.1186/1476-069X-5-26. PMC 1586190. PMID 16989661.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Ward, Mary H.; deKok, Theo M.; Levallois, Patrick; Brender, Jean; Gulis, Gabriel; Nolan, Bernard T.; VanDerslice, James (23 June 2005). "Workgroup Report: Drinking-Water Nitrate and Health—Recent Findings and Research Needs". Environmental Health Perspectives. 113 (11): 1607–1614. doi:10.1289/ehp.8043. PMC 1310926. PMID 16263519.