Final answer:
Symptoms of hyperammonemia in newborns range from temperature instability, apnea, and irritability to more severe symptoms like seizures and opisthotonos in late onset cases. Severe cases can lead to anemia, edema, and possibly death. Prompt recognition and treatment are crucial due to the neurotoxic effects of elevated ammonia levels.
Step-by-step explanation:
Symptoms of Hyperammonemia in Newborns
The symptoms of hyperammonemia in newborns can vary depending on when the condition presents, whether early onset or late onset. Early onset hyperammonemia symptoms include temperature instability, apnea (cessation of breathing), bradycardia (slow heart rate), hypotension, difficulty feeding, irritability, and limpness. Symptoms may also include a baby being difficult to wake from sleep. Late onset symptoms are more likely to include seizures, bulging fontanel (soft spot), stiff neck, hemiparesis (weakness on one side of the body), and opisthotonos (rigid body with arched back and head thrown backward).
In severe cases, other symptoms may manifest, such as anemia, edema, enlarged liver or spleen, hydrops (fluid in body cavity), and it may lead to the death of the newborn. Additional symptoms of ammonia intoxication can include flapping tremor, slurring of speech, blurring of vision, and in critical conditions, coma and death. A notable fact is that normal blood ammonia levels are 10-12 µg/dl; therefore, a significant elevation indicates a need for prompt medical intervention due to the neurotoxic effects of ammonia.