Asphyxia 

Oxygen deficiency before or around birth

Asphyxia literally means 'no breathing'. It causes a lack of oxygen in the baby during pregnancy or around birth.

It is estimated that one in 350 children in the Netherlands suffers from oxygen deficiency at birth.
There are various causes of asphyxia:

• placental detachment or poor blood flow to the placenta
• pinched umbilical cord
  
• infarctions in the placenta
• a labor that is too slow, by which the placenta cannot supply enough blood to the baby
• an infection or a heart defect in the baby
• the baby inhaling amniotic fluid containing feces
• immature lungs of the baby

 

Due to the lack of oxygen, several organs function less well, such as the liver, kidneys, lungs, but also the brain.
There are large differences between the complaints that children can experience due to asphyxia and there is also a large variety in the severity of the complaints.
There may initially be problems with swallowing, sleeping, urinating, epilepsy, making abnormal movements (fluttering and crossing legs), blood pressure, heart rate and problems with muscle tension and spasms, dystonia. Problems with hearing and seeing can occur. The later problems differ per child.

Information about asphyxia can be found on this website.

Possible consequence of asphyxia

One of the possible consequences of oxygen deficiency at birth is cerebral palsy. 'Palsy' means 'Paralysis'. It can be a consequence of oxygen deficiency in the baby during birth, contractions or a difficult delivery. Cerebral palsy can also occur with infectious diseases in early childhood. Read more about brain damage due to an infection.
Read more about Cerebral Palsy.

 

NB!

Damage is not always visible on an MRI scan.
Demonstrable abnormalities on an MRI scan can sometimes only be visible after a few days, but they can also disappear again.
It is not always possible to prevent children from moving during an MRI scan.
Even if no damage is visible on an MRI, there may still be invisible problems such as increased sensitivity to stimuli (overstimulation) and other invisible consequences of brain damage.

 

Specific page oxygen deficiency

On the page on oxygen deficiency we explain the specific consequences of oxygen deficiency on the brain and which brain areas are sensitive to oxygen deficiency.