Question

The blue-baby syndrome results from
A.Excess of dissolved oxygen
B.Excess of TDS (total dissolved solids)
C.Excess of chloride
D.Methemoglobinemia

Answer 1

Blue baby syndrome is a condition with which some babies are born i.e., congenital or may acquire after birth in their early life. A blue baby is the one whose blood is prevented from being fully oxygenated due to some malformations in the heart; the bluish color is due to the deoxygenated content of the blood.

Complete step by step answer: In the general case, the blue baby syndrome might result from two conditions-
1.Cyanotic heart disease- this might occur either due to the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood or due to reduced blood flow to the lungs. This is a situation resulting from a congenital heart defect, which leads to low levels of oxygen in the blood.
2.Methaemoglobinaemia- this condition simply means an increased level of methemoglobin in the blood. It prevents the oxygen from getting released in the tissues and thus decreasing the level of oxygen in the blood.
In these situations, the body color of the baby turns blue which is known as cyanosis. Along with cyanosis, the infant suffering from this condition might show breathlessness, diarrhea, and vomiting.
The blue coloration generally appears around the mouth, hands, and feet. Our body has certain enzymes that could reverse methemoglobinemia but only up to a certain extent.
Therefore the correct option here is option D.

Note: Methaemoglobinaemia is mainly caused due to high levels of nitrates in the drinking water; this condition is more common in rural areas than the urban ones because the rural areas have high levels of nitrates from the fertilizers and manures. Nitrates change the hemoglobin to methemoglobin, decreasing the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. Sometimes this condition might be fatal to the infants.