Shaken Baby Syndrome is especially dangerous to infants due to which of the following?

• A. It leaves obvious external injuries in most cases.
• B. The brain tissue is extremely fragile and injury results from rapid acceleration and deceleration.
• C. It is usually caused by minor, unnoticeable falls.
• D. It only occurs in the first week of life.

Answer: (B)

Rapid acceleration and deceleration forces from shaking cause the brain to move inside the skull. In infants, the brain is relatively large for the skull, the neck is weak, and supporting tissues are delicate, so this motion tears brain tissue and blood vessels. The result is bleeding inside the skull (often subdural hemorrhages), brain swelling, reduced oxygen delivery, seizures, and potentially permanent damage or death, even when there are few or no external injuries. This makes the mechanistic explanation the strongest reason the condition is so dangerous in infants. The idea that injuries come from obvious external trauma or minor falls isn’t accurate, and Shaken Baby Syndrome can occur beyond the first week of life.