What causes cerebral palsy in an 8-month-old baby?

On February 1, 2019, @大河报 posted a Weibo post: An 8-month-old baby was diagnosed by a doctor with acute hemolysis and cerebral palsy, and the culprit was something almost every household has – mothballs! (Picture source: Dahe Newspaper Weibo screenshot) Although Dahe Newspaper published this report in February this year, Doudehui discovered that this case was news in the early years. Are mothballs really that scary? Will all babies be poisoned or have cerebral palsy if they smell it? Which mothballs are relatively safer? In response to these issues, Doudehui will explain them carefully to everyone, so that everyone can be aware of them, and will not only be scared after seeing any information, and not know how to deal with it. 1 Case review According to the baby’s mother, the baby was very alert after birth, but when the baby was 5 or 6 months old, he began to show symptoms of sluggishness, dullness, and even “convulsions” from time to time. When the baby was 8 months old, he was sent to the doctor to find out the cause of the disease. However, during the diagnosis process, the doctor smelled the smell of mothballs on the baby and immediately asked his parents whether they had used mothballs on daily basis. The parents explained: \”Because I am worried that the humid environment will easily cause clothes to become moldy and attract insects and ants, I put some mothballs in the closet and in various corners of the house all year round.\” The doctor said that the culprit of the baby\’s acute hemolysis may be It is caused by the baby being in this environment for a long time. Because the treatment was not timely, the baby still developed cerebral palsy even after treatment. 2 Will mothballs definitely cause cerebral palsy in babies? (Picture source: The Frontline of the Rule of Law) Mothballs can indeed induce acute hemolytic anemia or cerebral palsy, but not all babies will encounter this situation. Because there are two prerequisites for these two situations: 1. Babies who lack a specific \”enzyme\” in the body, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), is an important substance for maintaining the metabolism of human red blood cells. Infants and young children who lack this enzyme Or as long as adults encounter a substance like naphthol, it will cause the unprotected red blood cells to rupture, thus inducing acute hemolytic anemia. Not only mothballs, but also broad beans or broad bean products, aspirin, etc. can induce acute hemolytic anemia. However, if your baby contains this enzyme, there is no need to panic, because when glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) encounters naphthol, it will combine with it to form a non-toxic substance that is excreted from the body with every urination, so for For this kind of baby, even if he smells the smell of mothballs, hemolysis will generally not occur. 2. Will long-term severe anemia cause cerebral palsy if you smell it? This statement is somewhat exaggerated. The premise that mothballs cause cerebral palsy in babies is that acute hemolysis is not treated in time, so that long-term severe anemia can damage the baby\’s intelligence. For example, in the case, the baby developed abnormal symptoms at 5 or 6 months of age, but sought medical treatment at 8 months of age. This is the cause of cerebral palsy. Generally speaking, parents will not delay seeking medical attention until their baby is mentally impaired, because a series of symptoms will appear before the baby becomes mentally impaired. Symptoms include: pale face, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea, fever, yellow eyes and skin color, soy sauce-colored urine. Therefore, as long as the baby has abnormal symptomsWith timely treatment, the likelihood of intellectual impairment is generally very low. However, it should be noted that if the baby does not receive timely rescue when he is in a serious situation such as coma or shock, it will not only damage his intelligence, but may also lead to death. Therefore, once there is an abnormality in the baby, parents should seek medical treatment immediately for diagnosis. 3 How to determine whether the baby\’s body contains this enzyme? Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency screening is an important test in newborn screening, so if the baby is screened to be deficient in this enzyme, doctors will remind parents to avoid exposing the baby to mothballs, broad beans, and aspirin. wait. 4 Which type of mothballs are relatively safe? (Picture source: The Frontline of the Rule of Law) If parents must use mothballs, do not choose synthetic mothballs, but natural mothballs. Because synthetic mothballs contain naphthol and p-dichlorobenzene, which are carcinogens, they can cause certain damage to the eyes, respiratory tract, central nervous system, and kidneys. Therefore, it is best for pregnant women and infants to avoid contact. Natural mothballs generally do not contain these two substances, so they are safer for families with babies, but the price will be two or three times higher than synthetic mothballs. >>>>Parents can make a preliminary identification through the following methods. Natural mothballs will float on the water when placed in water, can be burned with fire and are not easy to extinguish. Synthetic mothballs will sink into the water and will not burn when exposed to fire. Instead, they will melt into chemical oil droplets. Because babies are still developing and do not contain as many enzymes as adults, care should be taken to avoid long-term exposure to mothballs. Moreover, Doudehui does not recommend placing mothballs in homes with babies, because even if the baby does not have glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, poisoning by accidental ingestion may occur due to lack of parental care and the baby\’s curiosity. In fact, sunlight is the most natural and best \”antivirus and bactericide\”, so it is best to clean your baby\’s clothes and then dry them in the sun. If you want to prevent insects and ants, you can use vacuum storage bags to store clothes. For clothes that have been left for too long, it is best to wash and dry them before letting your baby wear them.