My friends son is 3 she says he often wakes in morning with his lips blue. I think this could be serious?

Question

I think it could be something serious she says its when he wakes in a morning. Anyone any ideas and is it urgent?

jamie k if you read properly he is not my son and Daisy I AM NOT wasting time asking on here! hes my friends son ive told her get him to dr asap i just wanted to know what it could possibly be as i thought it could be serious and be his heart. I will mention all these things to her tmw morning and insist she gets him to Dr quickly as its worrying.

Answer 1

A child's lips should be nice and pink. In fact, you usually don't want to see any part of a child turn purple or blue, which can indicate cyanosis.

Cyanosis is a sign that a child doesn't have enough oxygen in their blood. While often caused by congenital heart defects, it can also be caused by septic shock, seizures or lung problems, like pneumonia or asthma. If her child is otherwise well, it is possible that it is just the skin around his lips that are becoming purple when he is running around inside. To see if that is the case, get a close look at his lips, tongue, and nail beds to see if they are pink, blue, or purple. If they are pink, then your child may just have circumoral cyanosis, which is cyanosis that can be seen around a child's mouth. Whether or nother child has any other signs or symptoms, he should have an evaluation by his pediatrician to look into this further.

Answer 2

A child's lips should be nice and pink. In fact, you usually don't want to see any part of a child turn purple or blue, which can indicate cyanosis.

Cyanosis is a sign that a child doesn't have enough oxygen in their blood. While often caused by congenital heart defects, it can also be caused by septic shock, seizures or lung problems, like pneumonia, asthma or croup.

Not all cyanosis is necessarily bad, though. Newborns and young infants can normally have acrocyanosis, with a bluish discoloration of their hands and feet. This is called peripheral cyanosis and usually goes away as a child's circulatory system matures.

On the other hand, central cyanosis, where a child's face or trunk turns blue, is more likely to be caused by a serious problem. Specific signs of central cyanosis can be that a child is blue all over, or that his lips or tongue are blue.

While blue lips are a sign of central cyanosis, it can sometimes be normal for a child to get blue around his lips and mouth, especially when he is crying and screaming. In this case, his lips and tongue will still be pink though.

If your child is otherwise well, it is possible that it is just the skin around his lips that are becoming purple when he is running around inside. To see if that is the case, get a close look at his lips, tongue, and nail beds to see if they are pink, blue, or purple. If they are pink, then your child may just have circumoral cyanosis, which is cyanosis that can be seen around a child's mouth.




Some specific things to consider to help determine if this is normal or a real problem include:


Is your child growing and developing normally? Weight loss or poor weight gain would be a sign that this is a more serious problem.

Has your child ever been diagnosed as having a heart murmur?

Does your child have any other symptoms, like a cough or trouble breathing, during these episodes, which might be a sign of asthma?

Is your child not very active? Does he tire out very easily and before other children of his same age?

Does he get weak and sleepy after these episodes at school?
Whether or not your child has any of these other signs or symptoms, he should have an evaluation by his pediatrician to look into this further. Your pediatrician may decide this is normal though, especially if your child has a normal physical exam and the pattern of the cyanosis seems to indicate that it is just circumoral cyanosis, and may not do any further testing.

If there is any question that this could be a sign of a more serious disorder, your pediatrician may do more testing, such as pulse oximetry to measure the oxygen level in your child's blood. Other testing might include a complete blood count, chest x-ray, and perhaps an EKG if he is worried about your child's heart

Answer 3

It could be a sign of poor circulation, possibly a heart problem. My son was born with serious heart problems and he had blue lips and also blue finger nails. He's had two operations and is now a normal colour. It might be nothing serious, but it definately wants mentioning to a doctor.

Answer 4

It could be as simple as him being cold in the morning. My son used to do it all the time. That and his little fingers. But, it could also be that he is having a hard time getting enough oxygen at night too and that is bad. I would not take any chances and go get him seen. Better be safe than sorry.

Answer 5

This usually happens due to sleep apnea. This means the child stops breathing in his sleep every so often for long enough thta his lips turn blue. This is very dangerous especially for a three year old and he needs to be checked as soon as possible by a doctor. They may need to take his tonsils or something or tell you his tongue is big for his mouth (which may be solved as he grows) but this is dangerous for adults, not to mention EXTREMELY dangerous for children

Answer 6

The child really needs to be seen by the doctor urgently. For months i kept telling the doctor that something was wrong with my son and that he wasn't breathing to well at night, also that he kept coughing and they kept telling me he had ashtma. It got so bad that every time he went to sleep he would snore uncontrollably and it sounded like he would stop breathing in his sleep. I had to do tests at home and they found out that every night he would stop breathing and that his oxygen levels were at dangerously low levels. They took him into hospital about a week or two later and they took his tonsils and his adenoids out because every time he slept they would relax over his windpipe and were suffocating him. So my advice to your friend is take him now. If she wont then phone social services because i would do it if my friend wouldn't listen!

Answer 7

Well,unless this child's bedroom is exceptionally cold I would say it indicates a problem! Blue lips usually means a shortage of oxygen. I know everyone else has said it but,yes,this child needs a trip to the doctor,talk to your friend!

Answer 8

He should be checked by a doctor as it could be that he is not getting enough oxygen while asleep. This can cause the blue lips. Another thing she might check is that he is warm enough- some children will have those blue lips when they are cold.

Answer 9

Blue lips is a sign of circulatory problems. Tell her to contact a doctor and get him seen asap. Tell her to regulary check him as well!

If she is concerned andits outside doctors hours tell her to call NHS Direct 08454647

Answer 10

Why is time being wasted asking this question on here?! Your friend should be taking this child to the doctor/hospital straight away. It is not normal for his lips to be turning blue.