| Shaken Baby Syndrome is caused by the violent shaking of a baby or young child, causing the head to flop back and forth. This whiplash motion can cause the brain to slam against the inside of the skull and tear blood vessels. Brain swelling and internal bleeding from injury causes brain tissue to tear.
Nerve pathways in the brain that are important for learning and normal development are being completed during this stage of a baby’s life. SBS can cause severe damage to these pathways that will never be repaired.
Babies under the age of 6 months are at the highest risk of SBS, but it can affect children up to the age of 3 depending upon muscle development. There are an estimated 50,000 cases of SBS each year. Of these 50,000 cases, about 1,200 are reported, and one-fourth of those babies die, making it the leading cause of death due to child abuse. |
