Symptoms indicative of Shaken Baby Syndrome are related to which of the following?

• A. poor nutrition and lack of parental bonding
• B. vaso-occlusive crisis and cerebral infarction
• C. uncontrollable cerebral edema and hypoxia
• D. microcephaly and premature closures of the cranial sutures

Answer: (C)

Shaken Baby Syndrome is abusive head trauma where rapid acceleration‑deceleration injures the brain, leading to diffuse cerebral edema and hypoxic injury. The swelling raises intracranial pressure and impairs blood flow, causing hypoxia that compounds the brain injury. This combination—uncontrollable cerebral edema with hypoxia—is the most characteristic way SBS presents at the brain level. The other descriptions don’t fit SBS: neglect or bonding issues relate to poor care rather than acute brain injury; sickle cell–related vaso-occlusive crises produce infarctions from blood vessel occlusion; and microcephaly with premature cranial suture closure suggests developmental or congenital skull abnormalities rather than an acute traumatic process.