SIDS (Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome)
Sudden
Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the diagnosis given for the sudden death of an infant
under one year of age that remains unexplained after a complete investigation, which
includes an autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the symptoms or
illnesses the infant had prior to dying and any other pertinent medical history. Because
most cases of SIDS occur when a baby is sleeping in a crib, SIDS is also commonly known as
crib death.
SIDS is the leading cause of death in infants between 1 month
and 1 year of age. Most SIDS deaths occur when a baby is between 1 and 4 months of age.
African American children are two to three times
more likely than white babies to die of SIDS, and Native American babies are about three
times more susceptible. Also, more boys are SIDS victims than girls.
 What are
the Risk Factors for SIDS ?
What causes SIDS ?
How to Reduce the Risk of
SIDS ?
Associations
In the
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Internet Resources
| What are the Risk Factors for SIDS? |
Babies who sleep on their stomachs are more likely to die of
SIDS than those who sleep on their backs.
Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are three times more
likely to have a SIDS baby
Other risk factors include mothers who are less than 20 years
old at the time of their first pregnancy, babies born to mothers who had no or late
prenatal care, and premature or low birth weight babies.
Mounting evidence suggests that some SIDS babies are born
with brain abnormalities that make them vulnerable to sudden death during infancy.
Babies born with defects in other portions of the brain or
body may also be more prone to a sudden death. These abnormalities may stem from prenatal
exposure to a toxic substance, or lack of a vital compound in the prenatal environment,
such as sufficient oxygen. Cigarette smoking during pregnancy, for example, can reduce the
amount of oxygen the fetus receives.
| How to Reduce the Risk of SIDS ? |
There currently is no way of predicting which newborns will
succumb to SIDS; however, there are a few measures parents can take to lower the risk of
their child dying from SIDS.
Good prenatal care, which includes proper nutrition, no
smoking or drug or alcohol use by the mother, and frequent medical check-ups beginning
early in pregnancy, might help prevent a baby from developing an abnormality that could
put him or her at risk for sudden death.
These measures may also reduce the chance of having a
premature or low birthweight baby, which also increases the risk for SIDS. Once the baby
is born, parents should keep the baby in a smoke-free environment.
Families with a baby who has died from SIDS may be aided by
counseling and support groups. Examples of these groups include the following:
Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs
630 West Fayette Street
Room 5-684
Baltimore, MD 21201
1-410-706-5062
National Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome Association
10500 Little Patuxent Parkway Suite 420, Columbia, MD 21044
1-800-221-SIDS
Offers telephone and local chapter support for families of SIDS victims.
National SIDS Resource Center
2070 Chain Bridge Road
Suite 450
Vienna, VA 22181
1-703-821-8955
SIDS Alliance (a national network of SIDS
support groups)
1314 Bedford Avenue, Suite 210
Baltimore, MD 21208
1-800-221-7437 or
1-410-653-8226
Source: NICHD Public Information, April 1997
Study links abnormal heart rhythm
to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: There has been a 38 percent drop in U.S. deaths
attributed to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) since 1992, when pediatric experts began
a "back to sleep" campaign urging parents to place infants to sleep on their
backs.
American Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Institute
SIDS Network: lots of information gathered by
individuals acroos the United States and around the world.
Sudden
Infant Death Syndrome - Frequently Askd Questions
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