Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy Causes & Risks

Causes

There are a variety of causes of HIE. Any injury and many health conditions can potentially cause oxygen deprivation to the brain. Some common causes are:

• Injury or complication during birth
• Respiratory failure
• Blocked or ruptured blood vessel
• Carbon monoxide or cyanide poisoning
• Drug overdose
• Drowning
• Lack of oxygen due to smoke inhalation
• Extremely low blood pressure
• Strangulation
• Cardiac arrest
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• High altitudes
• Choking
• Compression or injury to the trachea that reduces or stops breathing
• Complications from general anesthesia
• Diseases that cause paralysis of the respiratory organs or muscles (eg, myasthenia gravis , Guillain-Barre syndrome )

Risk Factors

Any injury, complication, or health condition that causes the brain to have a reduction in blood flow and oxygen deprivation is a risk factor for HIE.