No mention of vaccine injury, infections, genetic causes, or brittle bone

[Guest guest]

Shaking baby injuries more common than expected-study

By Reaney

LONDON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Head injuries in infants caused by violent shaking are twice as common as doctors had previously thought, ish scientists said on Friday.

A 10-year study of children in paediatric units in Scotland showed that non-accidental head injuries, which usually result from violently shaking babies, occur in 24.6 per 100,000 children younger than a year old each year.

It had previously been thought that the figure was 11.2 per 100,000.

"These are serious brain injuries that we are talking about," Dr Minns, of the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, said in a telephone interview.

"Shaking impact syndrome is the commonest cause of infant death from head injuries and the most serious cause of child abuse," the paediatric neurosurgeon added.

MURDER TRIAL HIGHLIGHTS SYNDROME

Shaken baby syndrome made international headlines in 1997 when British nanny Louise Woodward was convicted of killing a baby boy in Massachusetts by shaking him violently.

Another British nanny who ran a day care facility in California was jailed for the same offence when a toddler in her care died from head injuries in 1999.

In their study published in The Lancet medical journal, Minns and his colleague Barlow said most cases of violent shaking occurred when the child was two-three months old.

Seventy-five percent of babies were admitted to hospital with the syndrome during the autumn and winter months and there was a higher incidence in urban areas.

Greater awareness of the syndrome, better detection methods and sophisticated scanning techniques have allowed doctors to separate accidental head injuries from shaken impact syndrome.

The syndrome has distinct features such as brain haemorrhaging and swelling, bleeding and fractures on the infant's ribs or bones where they have been twisted.

DISCIPLINE GONE WRONG

"The intent in many cases is discipline that has gone wrong. Shaking a baby is not going to stop it from screaming," Minns said.

But in other cases the intent is malicious and Minns said it is evident that there is no way the head injury could have been caused accidentally or in a moment of frustration.

"My perception is that it is increasing but I do think as well that it is much better recognised today and child protection teams are very much aware of it," Minns added.

Deaths from the syndrome are high and brain damage, visual problems, psychological consequences and learning difficulties resulting from it are even higher.

Although the study was limited to ish cases Minns thinks they are representative of the scale of the problem elsewhere.

"I think the same is happening everywhere. The thing about shaken impact syndrome is that it doesn't seem to know any boundaries," said Minns

"Whatever ethnic group, whatever social class it happens in all (of them)."

17:10 11-02-00