SIDS -possible causes and preventionSIDS is an acronym for sudden Infant Death Syndrome and refers to sudden death of an infant under one year of age which cannot be explained by thorough investigation including the performance of complete autopsy (examination of the dead body to find out the cause of death), examination of the circumstances of death and review of clinical history to rule out any preexisting disease. It is one of the worst tragedies in life coming as a rude shock to parents who have just begun enjoying their parenthood and dreaming about a bright future for their beloved kids. The incidence of sudden infant death syndrome reaches its peak between the ages of 2 and 4months. Most of the deaths occur in the age group between a few weeks to six months. Another notable feature is the time of death. It usually occurs after midnight and before 8 Am when the infant and other family members are asleep. It is slightly more common in males then in females. Several risk factors have been knows to predispose to SIDS. These include low birth weight, teenaged mother, drug addiction in mother, maternal smoking and family hisotory of SIDS. But many babies die suddenly without any of these risk factors. Putting the baby to sleep on the abdomen (prone position) or on one side seems to increase the risk of SIDS. This may cause partial obstruction of nostrils leading to re-breathing of some exhaled air. Hence infants should be put to sleep on their backs (supine position). It should be noted that some sudden death are actually due to suffocation. Mothers should not breastfeed babies while sleeping. The pendulous breast can occlude the mouth and nostrils resulting in death. Putting the baby to sleep on the tummy on very soft bed can also predispose to suffocation. Pillow should not be used for infants. Newborn babies and infants have short necks. Vomiting is quite common is young infants. Keeping a pillow causes forward bending of the neck and may prevent vomited material from coming out easily, and lead to choking. The exact mechanism of S I D S is not known. We do not know whether the first event is cessation of breathing or cardiac arrest arrhythmia. Autopsy findings often suggest chronic hypoxia (lack of oxygen). Some infants suffer from mild respiratory infection before S I D S often the baby is shown to a pediatrician who does not find anything serious and treats as out patient. Such a baby may be found dead after a day or two parents are likely to blame the doctor or feed guilty for not taking to a different doctor. Such parents need counseling to rid them of feelings of guilt.
Page last reviewed on 17th January 2010
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