Can neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy cause sequelae?

As the name suggests, neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy refers to the clinical symptoms that appear after the baby's brain tissue suffers from ischemia and hypoxia. First, let’s understand the cause of the disease. It is generally caused by factors during pregnancy. So what are the specific causes of neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy?

The symptoms of neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy are generally divided into three degrees;

1. Mild symptoms are relatively mild and easy to recover from. Generally, there are no sequelae. The main symptoms are mild drowsiness, excitement, muscle tremors, tremors, etc. The muscle tone is generally normal, convulsions generally do not occur, and breathing is stable. These symptoms will gradually disappear in about three days.

Second, moderate cases are likely to have sequelae, most of which include convulsions, respiratory arrest, decreased muscle tone, respiratory apnea, severe drowsiness, coma, etc. These symptoms usually last for more than ten days.

Third, this severe case is more serious. The mortality rate of children is generally very high. Even if they survive, they will have serious sequelae. The main symptoms are persistent coma, extremely low muscle tone, frequent convulsions, irregular breathing, hug reflex, disappearance of tendon reflexes, etc.

There is a scoring standard for the sequelae of neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. The most recognized one is the one-minute Apgar score. The total score is 8-10 points for no asphyxia, 4-7 points for mild asphyxia, and 0-3 points for severe asphyxia. Generally, 8 points or above are normal.

A score of 7 or above indicates mild hypoxia, which often does not affect the prognosis. Since the children have low resistance, they are prone to complications such as hypoglycemia, intracranial hemorrhage in newborns, systemic infection, or aspiration pneumonia. Therefore, even if the severely ill children survive, due to prolonged hypoxia, damage to brain cells, and the emergence of complications, the baby's future intelligence, language, limb movement disorders, low resistance, etc. will have varying degrees of sequelae.

Treatment of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in newborns

First, keep the baby quiet in the room, avoid excessive noise, and avoid moving the baby or holding the baby frequently.

Second, pay attention to the indoor temperature and humidity, especially in the summer when the temperature is around 28 degrees and in the winter when the indoor temperature is around 20 degrees. Because if the baby is overheated, it is easy for the baby to lose water, and if the baby is too cold, the body temperature will not rise or the baby may suffer from scleredema neonatorum.

Third, pay attention to prevent inflammatory infections, especially in the baby's bedroom, avoid too many visitors. If there are family members with colds or skin infections or infectious diseases, avoid contact with the baby and it is best not to visit. While caring for the baby, you should strengthen the care of the baby's mouth, navel, and buttocks, which is beneficial to the baby's healthy growth.