Biomaterial Database

Severe hypernatremic dehydration and death in a breast-fed infant. 2001

R H van Amerongen, and A C Moretta, and T J Gaeta

Department of Emergency Medicine, New York Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn 11215, USA. rov9001@nyp.org

Breast milk is acknowledged as the best source of nutrition for neonates. We present the case of a full-term newborn who was fed solely breast milk and developed severe dehydration and hypernatremia. The patient developed cerebral edema, transverse sinus thrombosis, and died. The literature on the uncommon entity of breast-feeding hypernatremia and dehydration is reviewed, and management strategies are presented.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D006955	Hypernatremia	Excessive amount of sodium in the blood. (Dorland, 27th ed)	Hypernatremias
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D007231	Infant, Newborn	An infant during the first 28 days after birth.	Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D008895	Milk, Human	Milk that is produced by HUMAN MAMMARY GLANDS.	Breast Milk,Human Milk,Milk, Breast
D001929	Brain Edema	Increased intracellular or extracellular fluid in brain tissue. Cytotoxic brain edema (swelling due to increased intracellular fluid) is indicative of a disturbance in cell metabolism, and is commonly associated with hypoxic or ischemic injuries (see HYPOXIA, BRAIN). An increase in extracellular fluid may be caused by increased brain capillary permeability (vasogenic edema), an osmotic gradient, local blockages in interstitial fluid pathways, or by obstruction of CSF flow (e.g., obstructive HYDROCEPHALUS). (From Childs Nerv Syst 1992 Sep; 8(6):301-6)	Brain Swelling,Cerebral Edema,Cytotoxic Brain Edema,Intracranial Edema,Vasogenic Cerebral Edema,Cerebral Edema, Cytotoxic,Cerebral Edema, Vasogenic,Cytotoxic Cerebral Edema,Vasogenic Brain Edema,Brain Edema, Cytotoxic,Brain Edema, Vasogenic,Brain Swellings,Cerebral Edemas, Vasogenic,Edema, Brain,Edema, Cerebral,Edema, Cytotoxic Brain,Edema, Cytotoxic Cerebral,Edema, Intracranial,Edema, Vasogenic Brain,Edema, Vasogenic Cerebral,Swelling, Brain
D001942	Breast Feeding	The nursing of an infant at the breast.	Breast Fed,Breastfed,Milk Sharing,Wet Nursing,Breast Feeding, Exclusive,Breastfeeding,Breastfeeding, Exclusive,Exclusive Breast Feeding,Exclusive Breastfeeding,Sharing, Milk
D003681	Dehydration	The condition that results from excessive loss of water from a living organism.	Water Stress,Stress, Water
D005260	Female		Females
D005440	Fluid Therapy	Therapy whose basic objective is to restore the volume and composition of the body fluids to normal with respect to WATER-ELECTROLYTE BALANCE. Fluids may be administered intravenously, orally, by intermittent gavage, or by HYPODERMOCLYSIS.	Oral Rehydration Therapy,Rehydration,Rehydration, Oral,Oral Rehydration,Rehydration Therapy, Oral,Therapy, Fluid,Therapy, Oral Rehydration,Fluid Therapies,Oral Rehydration Therapies,Oral Rehydrations,Rehydration Therapies, Oral,Rehydrations,Rehydrations, Oral,Therapies, Fluid,Therapies, Oral Rehydration
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man