Blue Baby Syndrome

What is Blue Baby?

Blue Baby it is a syndrome.The alternative names of the Blue Baby are Cyanotic Infant, Blue Baby Syndrome, Cyanotic Baby, Cyanotic Newborn.The child born with cyanosis due to the congenital cardiac or pulmonary defect that causes to the incomplete oxygenation of the blood. It causes to the newborn baby.Blue Baby which causes to the newborn baby's skin which have a bluish color.It is a hereditary heart disease .The baby having this syndrome has blue color blood means oxygen poor in place of red blood means oxygen rich.In blue baby the pulmonary artery is narrow which allow to pass sufficient amount of blood into the lungs for oxygenation. Blue Baby is caused when the nitrite reacts with the hemoglobin present in red blood cells.

This syndrome caused to the baby by the mother.When the mother has positive and baby has negative blood group then the second and third child is born with blue baby syndrome.In adult 10% nitrates is converted into the nitrites while the infant's 100% nitrates are converts into the nitrites,easily. Remaining nitrites are absorbed by intestine.

Causes of Blue Baby

The Blue Baby syndrome causes due to cyanotic conditions like Cyanotic heart defects,Methanol,Respiratory distress syndrome.It also causes due to an incompatibility of fetal and maternal blood types.

Cyanotic heart defects - It causes when the tissues and organs of the body do not absorbed sufficient amount of oxygen.

Methemoglobinemia -Methemoglobinemia is blood disorder when nitrite reacts with hemoglobin which lacks the ability to carry sufficient amount of oxygen to the infant's cells and tissue..The risk factor of infant's Methemoglobinemia which caused due to the nitrate contaminated drinking water which affect to the baby's skin color and becomes bad-tempered or tired depends upon the strictness of their condition which rapidly causes to the coma and death.

Symptoms of Blue Baby

  • The blue-gray skin color around the mouth,feet and hand.
  • Illness occurs when the percentage of the nitrate in water become high which are ingested by the infant's and transform into the nitrites by the digestive system.
  • They show some features of diarrhea and vomiting and trouble in breathing.
  • The blood samples do not turn into pink color when reacts with air they are always appear chocolate brown color.
  • When the level of methemoglobin is become high the infant's shoes a marked tiredness, excessive salivation and loss of awareness.
  • When the level methemoglobin is tremendous then coma and death occurs.

Treatment of Blue Baby

Now a day's there are some treatments are available to grow up blue babies and live normal and healthy life.The treatment involve medication,enveloping procedure called cardiac catheterization or surgery.The treatment correct the syndrome but do not cure the condition.

  • Methemoglobinemia Treatment -It is not a life threatening if it is identified in a early stage.Drink a water having having less than 10 mg per liter nitrate -nitrogen is required which reduces the percentage of the methemoglobin to hemoglobin.
  • surgery -The surgery involved the joining of subclavian artery and pulmonary artery which allow the blood to become oxygenated.This process os known as Blalock-Taussing shunt.Generally the surgery is required and usually it is successful.

Prevention of Blue Baby

  • Drink the water containing nitrate-nitrogen below the level of 10 mg/l.
  • The methemoglobinemia prevention is important to the infant's blow to the six year month of age and the pregnant women and the women which are breath feeding.
  • Boiling water does not reduces the nitrate-nitrogen level.
  • If the level of nitrate-nitrogen is above10 mg/l then only use the bottled water.
  • Give the treatment to the water with a distiller, ion exchange unit or reverse osmosis unit which reduces the nitrate-nitrogen level of water.