Tissue Scurvy and the Triad

Abstract

The Triad, characterized by bilateral retinal haemorrhages, diffuse cerebral haemorrhage and hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy is conventionally thought to result from trauma caused by violently shaking a child by a parent or carer. The shaking is said to cause a to and fro movement of the brain in the skull leading to injury to the neurons, disruption of the cerebral veins and trauma to the retinal vessels. Vigorous shaking of a child has never been observed and an alternative explanation for these changes was sought. Here it is shown that Tissue Scurvy, an autoimmune disorder which has specific and consistent biochemical features of Hyperglycaemia and Liver Dysfunction as shown by abnormal Liver Function Tests, is the cause of the lesions. A child diagnosed as being the victim of the Shaken Baby Syndrome was tested for evidence of Tissue Scurvy and both Hyperglycaemia and Abnormal Liver Function were demonstrated. It is concluded that these results provide conclusive evidence that the Shaken Baby Syndrome is a form of Tissue Scurvy in which encephalopathy is caused by damage to neurons in the cervical spinal column causing hypoxia, which leads to ischaemic encephalopathy and the other features of the triad.