The frequency of SIDS does appear to be influenced by social, economic, or cultural factors, such as maternal education, race or ethnicity, or poverty. Deaths from SIDS are unlikely to be due to a single cause, but rather to multiple risk factors. Although studies have identified risk factors for SIDS, such as putting infants to bed on their bellies, there has been little understanding of the syndrome's biological process or its potential causes. This is considered a critical period because the infant's ability to rouse from sleep is not yet mature. SIDS has a four-parameter lognormal age distribution that spares infants shortly after birth - the time of maximal risk for almost all other causes of non-trauma infant death.īy definition, SIDS deaths occur under the age of one year, with the peak incidence occurring when the infant is two to four months old. In addition, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have proposed that such deaths be called sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) and that SIDS is a subset of SUID.
This change is causing diagnostic shift in the mortality data. The term SUDI is now often used instead of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) because some coroners prefer to use the term 'undetermined' for a death previously considered to be SIDS. Īustralia and New Zealand shifted to sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) for professional, scientific, and coronial clarity. exploration of the medical history of the infant and family.Īfter investigation, some of these infant deaths are found to be caused by suffocation, hyperthermia or hypothermia, neglect or some other defined cause.investigation of the death scene and circumstances of the death and.an autopsy (by an experienced pediatric pathologist, if possible).SIDS is a diagnosis of exclusion and should be applied to only those cases in which an infant's death is sudden and unexpected, and remains unexplained after the performance of an adequate postmortem investigation, including: The syndrome only applies to infants under one. Rates of SIDS have decreased in areas with "safe sleep" campaigns by up to 80%. About 90% of cases happen before six months of age, with it being most frequent between two months and four months of age. It is the most common cause of death between one month and one year of age. SIDS was the third leading cause of death in children less than one year old in the United States in 2011. Globally, it resulted in about 19,200 deaths in 2015, down from 22,000 deaths in 1990. Rates of SIDS vary nearly tenfold in developed countries from one in a thousand to one in ten thousand. Grief support for families affected by SIDS is important, as the death of the infant is sudden, without witnesses, and often associated with an investigation. Evidence is not sufficient for the use of fans. Measures not shown to be useful include positioning devices and baby monitors. Breastfeeding and immunization may also be preventive. Other measures include a firm mattress separate from but close to caregivers, no loose bedding, a relatively cool sleeping environment, using a pacifier, and avoiding exposure to tobacco smoke. The most effective method of reducing the risk of SIDS is putting a child less than one year old on their back to sleep. While child abuse in the form of intentional suffocation may be misdiagnosed as SIDS, this is believed to make up less than 5% of sudden death cases. The other 20% of cases are often caused by infections, genetic disorders, and heart problems. SIDS makes up about 80% of sudden and unexpected infant deaths (SUIDs). Another risk factor is being born before 39 weeks of gestation. Accidental suffocation from bed sharing (also known as co-sleeping) or soft objects may also play a role. These environmental stressors may include sleeping on the stomach or side, overheating, and exposure to tobacco smoke. The requirement of a combination of factors including a specific underlying susceptibility, a specific time in development, and an environmental stressor has been proposed. SIDS remains the leading cause of infant mortality in Western countries, contributing to half of all post-neonatal deaths. There is usually no noise or evidence of struggle. Typically death occurs between the hours of midnight and 9:00 a.m. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and detailed death scene investigation. Sudden infant death syndrome ( SIDS) is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age.