Roanoke doctors warn of Shaken Baby Syndrome cases

ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - The holiday season is a joyful time for many families but it can also be stressful.

In some cases, frustration is taken out on children. In fact, pediatricians in Roanoke said they've seen a number of Shaken Baby Syndrome cases.

Doctors said parents dealing with crying babies is one of the biggest factors leading to Shaken Baby Syndrome also known as Abusive Head Trauma.

Hospital officials originally stated on Monday, Dec. 21, 2015 Carilion Clinic reported hundreds of cases in 2015.

Staff has since retracted their original statement and said the number is dramatically lower - probably fewer than 10.

Although the number is low, the region has room for improvement. Pediatricians continue to speak out about the violent act against children.

Dr. Donald Kees, Vice Chair of Pediatrics at Carilion Clinic said they have seen various cases of children being abused with the focus being their head. He said the violent shaking of an infant or child can lead to death in about 25 percent of cases.

"For those who survive there can be various outcomes ranging from a child that is severely affected who will never live to walk and talk like a normal child" said Dr. Kees. "They may require full care like and infant all their life with someone feeding them, diapering them and caring for them."

Hospitals are required by law to report any type of child abuse or neglect to Child Protective Services.

For more information about Shaken Baby Syndrome, click here. 

Statement released from Carilion Clinic on Wednesday, December 23: 

RETRACTION: Statistic incorrect in Shaken Baby Syndrome story from Monday

Last Monday, we pitched a story that nearly 700 cases of shaken baby syndrome reported at Carilion in 2015. Since then, it has come to our attention that that the statistics we used were inaccurate. While we continue to parse out the data, the actual number of shaken baby syndrome cases from FY15 is dramatically lower (probably fewer than 10).

To put these numbers in perspective, the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome estimates that there are between 600 and 1,400 cases in the United States in a given year.

The original data we pulled was based on a variety of medical codes and ultimately included ALL pediatric head trauma cases seen by Roanoke Memorial Hospital, not just abusive head trauma cases. 

We apologize for the error. It is our goal to be a reliable and accurate source of health information to you, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.