SIDS

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Terms modified by SIDS

  • sids case

  • Selected Abstracts


    Parental reported apnoea, admissions to hospital and sudden infant death syndrome

    ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 4 2001
    EA Mitchell
    Three studies were undertaken: (i) a nation-wide case-control study for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), with 393 cases and 1592 controls, examined the association between parental reported apnoea and SIDS; (ii) a case-cohort study, with 84 cases of parental reported apnoea and 1502 controls, aimed to identify risk factors for apnoea; and (ii) national hospital admission data for ALTE and national SIDS mortality data were compared for the years 1986 to 1994. Parental reported apnoea was associated with a significant increased risk of SIDS [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.86; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12, 3.09]. The population attributable risk was 8%. There was a significant increased risk for parental reported apnoea in infants who did not die after adjustment for potential confounders with maternal smokers, short gestation and admission to the neonatal unit. There was no association with prone sleeping position, co-sleeping and bottle feeding. The mean annual admission rate for ALTE was 9.4/1000 live births. This did not change significantly over the study period (1986,1994). In contrast, the SIDS mortality rate decreased from over 4/ 1000 to 2.1/1000. Admission rates were higher for Maori infants and boys. Conclusion: It may be concluded that the relationship between parental reported apnoea and SIDS is tenuous. [source]


    Previous breastfeeding does not alter thymic size in infants dying of sudden infant death syndrome

    ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 1 2000
    JMD Thompson
    The relationship between thymic weights and previous feeding histories was examined in 294 infants of 37 wk gestation or more dying of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). One hundred and sixty-five infants had been breastfed exclusively, 89 had been partially breastfed and 40 had never been breastfed. We found no relationship between thymic weight and type of previous feeding. The difference between these findings in SIDS and the substantially greater thymic size previously reported in 4-mo-old breastfed living infants deserves further study. [source]


    What Is the mechanism of SIDS?

    DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
    Clues from epidemiology
    Abstract The cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is unknown. Many mechanisms have been postulated, although thermal stress, rebreathing of expired gases and infection/inflammation seem the most viable hypotheses for the causation of SIDS. Deaths from SIDS have reduced dramatically following the recommendation not to place infants to sleep prone. Epidemiological data have shown that prone sleeping position is more risky in winter, colder latitudes, higher altitudes, if the infant is unwell or has excessive bedding or clothing. This suggests prone sleeping position involves either directly or indirectly a thermal mechanism. SIDS caused by an infective/inflammatory mechanism might be associated with deaths occurring during the night. Rebreathing of expired gases, airway obstruction, long QT syndrome and other genetic conditions may explain a small number of sudden unexpected deaths in infancy. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 51: 215,222, 2009 [source]


    Brainstem mechanisms underlying the sudden infant death syndrome: Evidence from human pathologic studies

    DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
    Hannah C. Kinney
    Abstract The brainstem hypothesis is one of the leading hypotheses concerning the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). It states that SIDS, or an important subset of SIDS, is due to abnormal brainstem mechanisms in the control of respiration, chemosensitivity, autonomic regulation, and/or arousal which impairs the infant's response to life-threatening, but often occurring, stressors during sleep (e.g., hypoxia, hypercarbia, asphyxia, hyperthermia) and leads to sudden death in a vulnerable developmental period. In this review, we summarize neuropathologic evidence from SIDS cases that support this hypothesis, beginning with the seminal report of subtle brainstem gliosis three decades ago. We focus upon recent neurochemical studies in our laboratory concerning the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) and its key role in mediating protective responses to homeostatic stressors via medullary circuits. The possible fetal origin of brainstem defects in SIDS is reviewed, including evidence for adverse effects of prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking and alcohol upon the postnatal development of human brainstem 5-HT pathways. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 51: 223,233, 2009 [source]


    Effects of alcohol and smoking during pregnancy on infant autonomic control

    DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
    William P. Fifer
    Abstract Prenatal exposure to smoking and alcohol increases the risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Physiological changes associated with these exposures are not well studied. Full-term infants were tested within the first 3 days of life. We hypothesized that maternal alcohol consumption and/or smoking during pregnancy would alter autonomic nervous system function. Newborns whose mothers smoked during pregnancy had lower beat-to-beat heart rate variability in quiet sleep. Infants whose mothers consumed alcohol had lower global heart rate variability, but only in active sleep. Unexposed infants demonstrated increases in heart rate with head-up tilt and decreases in heart rate with head-down tilt, but smoking and alcohol-exposed infants showed no significant responses. These results indicate that autonomic function is altered by prenatal exposure to alcohol and smoking. Such markers may provide early identification of infants at greatest risk for SIDS. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 51: 234,242, 2009 [source]


    The sleep of co-sleeping infants when they are not co-sleeping: Evidence that co-sleeping is stressful

    DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2002
    Melissa Hunsley
    Abstract Co-sleeping proponents consider the practice to be "natural" and a potential protection against sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS); others consider the practice of an infant sleeping in the parents' bed for prolonged periods at night to place an infant at risk for harm or death. For this study, co-sleeping was investigated from a different perspective, that is, as a significant early experience to investigate as it may have implications for the infant's development. The sleep of 101 normal, full-term infants was recorded nonintrusively in the home for 24 hr periods when they were 5 weeks and 6 months old. Infants were assigned to three groups: short-term co-sleepers, long-term co-sleepers, and non-co-sleepers. Their sleep states and wakefulness were compared at the two ages and over age. At 5 weeks and 6 months, the long-term co-sleeping infants differed significantly from the non-co-sleepers on a number of measures: At 5 weeks, they showed more quiet sleep and longer bouts of quiet sleep; and at 6 months, they also showed less active sleep, fewer arousals in active sleep, and less wakefulness. Each of these differences indicates a markedly lower arousal level in the long-term co-sleeping infants. This sleep pattern has been repeatedly found to be an indicator of stress. We infer that a major source of stress for these infants is the experience of sleep disturbance documented for infants when they were co-sleeping. Based on extensive evidence for long-term effects of early stress, we conclude that co-sleeping should have significant implications for infants' neurobehavioral development. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 40: 14,22, 2002 [source]


    Incidence and geographical distribution of sudden infant death syndrome in relation to content of nitrate in drinking water and groundwater levels

    EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 12 2001
    M. George
    Background Previous studies indicate that the enteral bacterial urease is inhibited in victims of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). One possible inhibitor of this bacterial activity is nitrate. If ambient pollution by nitrate is involved in the etiology of SIDS only a fraction of the nitrate concentration not infrequently found in drinking water would be enough for this inhibition. Methods Occurrence of SIDS (n = 636) in Sweden during the period 1990 through 1996 were analysed regarding geographical and seasonal distribution in relation to the nitrate concentration in drinking water and changes in the groundwater level. Results Both the birth rate and the incidence of SIDS decreased during the study period. One quarter of the municipalities constituting 11% of the population had no cases, the maximum incidence being 6·5 per 1000 live births. Seasonality: The northernmost parts of the country had its highest incidence when the rest of the country had its lowest incidence, and the occurrence of individual deaths was associated with the recharge of groundwater which increases its nitrate content. The local incidence of SIDS was correlated (rs = 0·34,0·87) to maximally recorded concentrations of nitrate in drinking water. Conclusions The seasonal distribution of SIDS was widely different from the south to the north of the country and seems to be associated with differences in the groundwater level changes subsequent to precipitation, frost penetration, and melting of snow. Use of drinking water with high peak concentrations or great variations in nitrate concentration was correlated to the incidence of SIDS. [source]


    Infection, inflammation and SIDS

    FEMS IMMUNOLOGY & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2004
    Caroline Blackwell Guest Editor
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    Cot mattresses as reservoirs of potentially harmful bacteria and the sudden infant death syndrome

    FEMS IMMUNOLOGY & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2004
    Richard E. Sherburn
    Abstract Cot mattress materials were investigated as potential reservoirs of bacteria in relation to the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The sleeping position of the infant significantly influenced bacterial population density of cot mattress polyurethane foams (p<0.0000001) and their covers (p<0.004). Staphylococcus aureus was isolated at significantly higher frequency (p<0.03) from the infant's head region of cot mattress materials. Significantly higher bacterial population densities (p<0.001) were associated with polyurethane foams from non-integral mattresses (exposed polyurethane foam), when compared to those from mattresses completely covered by polyvinyl chloride (integral type mattress). The frequency of isolation of S. aureus from polyurethane foams from non-integral mattresses was also significantly higher (p=0.03) than from foams from the integral type. The following factors were significantly associated with increased frequency of isolation of S. aureus: from the polyurethane foam, previous use of non-integral mattresses by another child (p=0.03 for all sample sites, p=0.01 for torso region); from the covers, sleeping in the prone position (p=0.003 head region, p=0.001 torso region). Prone sleeping was also significantly associated with increased bacterial population levels (p=0.01) and increased frequency of isolation of Escherichia coli (p=0.02) from the torso region of cot mattress covers. These findings could explain some recently identified risk factors for SIDS associated with type and previous use of cot mattresses. Clostridium perfringens was isolated at very low frequency and Streptococcus pyogenes was not isolated from any cot mattress materials tested. [source]


    Alteration in regulation of inflammatory response to influenza a virus and endotoxin in suckling rat pups: a potential relationship to sudden infant death syndrome

    FEMS IMMUNOLOGY & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2004
    Jane Blood-Siegfried
    Abstract Data increasingly implicate a possible role of immune and inflammatory responses to infection in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). We have previously described a dual challenge model that results in pathology, organ damage, vascular collapse and unexplained death similar to that seen in SIDS. In this study, we examined changes in inflammatory cytokine mRNA in the lung and liver and regulation of pathways associated with nitric oxide production. Our data suggest that priming of the immune system by mild viral infection disturbs normal inflammatory response to endotoxin. This results in an increased nitric oxide synthase production, most likely the cause of liver pathology and clotting abnormalities. [source]


    Predictions of future climate change in the caribbean region using global general circulation models

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2007
    Moises E. Angeles
    Abstract Since the 1800s the global average CO2 mixing ratio has increased and has been related to increases in surface air temperature (0.6 ± 0.2 °C) and variations in precipitation patterns among other weather and climatic variables. The Small Island Developing States (SIDS), according to the 2001 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), are likely to be among the most seriously impacted regions on Earth by global climate changes. In this work, three climate change scenarios are investigated using the Parallel Climate Model (PCM) to study the impact of the global anthropogenic CO2 concentration increases on the Caribbean climate. A climatological analysis of the Caribbean seasonal climate variation was conducted employing the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis data, the Xie,Arkin precipitation and the Reynolds,Smith Sea Surface Temperature (SST) observed data. The PCM is first evaluated to determine its ability to predict the present time Caribbean climatology. The PCM tends to under predict the SSTs, which along with the cold advection controls the rainfall variability. This seems to be a main source of bias considering the low model performance to predict rainfall activity over the Central and southern Caribbean. Future predictions indicate that feedback processes involving evolution of SST, cloud formation, and solar radiative interactions affect the rainfall annual variability simulated by PCM from 1996 to 2098. At the same time two large-scale indices, the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) are strongly related with this rainfall annual variability. A future climatology from 2041 to 2058 is selected to observe the future Caribbean condition simulated by the PCM. It shows, during this climatology range, a future warming of approximately 1 °C (SSTs) along with an increase in the rain production during the Caribbean wet seasons (early and late rainfall seasons). Although the vertical wind shear is strengthened, it typically remains lower than 8 m/s, which along with SST > 26.5 °C provides favorable conditions for possible future increases in tropical storm frequency. Copyright © 2006 Royal Meteorological Society [source]


    Introduction to climate, disasters and international development

    JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2010
    Ilan Kelman
    Abstract This Policy Arena provides four papers exploring development policy for climate-related disaster risk reduction, including but not limited to climate change. The first two papers explore popular concepts, first ,vulnerability', ,capacity' and ,resilience' and second ,climate refugees' and ,climate conflict'. The last two papers each cover a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Samoa, respectively. The key development policy lesson from the papers is a framing that places climate change within wider climate, disaster risk reduction and development perspectives. That is further highlighted here through describing the Many Strong Voices programme that learns from the past to aim for a better future by tackling climate change. Learning from the history of international development assists in addressing root causes, such as vulnerability and poverty, to achieve effective development policy. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Socio-cultural perceptions of sudden infant death syndrome among migrant Indian mothers

    JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 11 2009
    Henna Aslam
    Aim: To explore socio-cultural influences on migrant mother decisions and beliefs regarding co-sleeping as a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Methods: Semi-structured interviews with five Indian-born women in a socio-economically disadvantaged suburb in the south-west of Sydney were conducted between September and December 2007. Transcripts were analysed using principles of discourse analysis. Results: Discourse analysis revealed that SIDS-related decisions and beliefs about co-sleeping as a risk factor for SIDS are constructed amid competing discourses of motherhood and child health. Mothers are either actively or unconsciously deciding how they negotiate or resist dominant Western discourses of motherhood and child health to make ,the best' health-related decisions for their children. Participants resisted acknowledging child sleep practices recommended by health practitioners, particularly recommendations to put to sleep the baby in its own cot. This resistance was expressed by constructing messages as ,inapplicable' and ,inappropriate'. Co-sleeping was constructed as a highly valued practice for its physical and social benefits to the child, mother and family by facilitating child security, breastfeeding, bonding and family connectedness. Conclusion: This study illustrates how decisions and behaviour are shaped by socio-cultural influences embedded in discourses and context. It also shows that in-depth investigation through a social constructivist lens is particularly useful for investigating influences on knowledge acquisition, interpretation and implementation among migrant groups. A greater appreciation of the social meanings and ideologies attached to behaviours can help to ensure that the correct messages reach the correct populations, and that child health outcomes can be achieved and maintained both for overseas and Australian-born populations. [source]


    Infant care practices associated with sudden infant death syndrome: Findings from the Pacific Islands Families study

    JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 5 2007
    Philip J Schluter
    Aim: To report infant care practice prevalence for known modifiable sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) risk factors among a generally disadvantaged yet low-SIDS rate population of mothers with Pacific infants. Methods: The Pacific Islands Families study follows a cohort of Pacific infants born at a large tertiary hospital in South Auckland, between 15 March and 17 December 2000. Maternal self-report of infant care practices was undertaken at interview 6 weeks post-partum. Results: Overall, 1376 mothers self-reported upon their care practices for infants with median age of 7 weeks. Current maternal smoking was reported by 29%. Of infants: 50% were fully breastfed; 1% were placed prone to sleep; 50% usually bed-shared with their mother and 12% usually bed-shared with a mother who smoked; and 94% usually and 1% occasionally slept in the same room as their mother. Except for room sharing (P = 0.09), there were significant differences in these practices between the three major Pacific Island ethnic subgroups (all P < 0.001). Conclusion: Adoption of bed-sharing and room-sharing practices appears to be saving Pacific infants' lives, even though the New Zealand Cot Death Association has discouraged bed-sharing and not actively promoted room sharing. Mothers need to receive adequate information antenatally about the risks and benefits of room-sharing, bed-sharing and safe-sleeping practices and environments should they decide or have no option but to bed-share. [source]


    Interpretation of recent sudden infant death syndrome rates in Western Australia

    JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 12 2005
    CJ Freemantle
    Abstract:, The diagnosis of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has undergone several changes in definition since first being recognised as a cause of death. Linked total population data from Western Australia enable investigations to determine changes in classifications of mortality for the infants of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal mothers (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are referred to throughout this report as ,Aboriginal'). Data for recent years show a shift away from a classification of ,SIDS' towards a classification of ,unascertainable', particularly for Aboriginal infants. This has implications for the accurate translation of data into policy and practice. [source]


    Research and sudden infant death syndrome: Definitions, diagnostic difficulties and discrepancies

    JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 8 2004
    RW Byard
    Abstract: The diagnosis of causes of sudden infant death is an often complex and difficult process. Variable standards of autopsy practice and the use of different definitions for entities such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) have also contributed to confusion and discrepancies. For example, the term SIDS has been used when the requirements of standard definitions have not been fulfilled. In an attempt to correct this situation recent initiatives have been undertaken to stratify cases of unexpected infant death and to institute protocols that provide frameworks for investigations. However, if research is to be meaningful, researchers must be scrupulous in assessing how extensively cases have been investigated and how closely cases fit with internationally recognized definitions and standards. Unless this approach is adopted, evaluation of research findings in SIDS will be difficult and the literature will continue to be beset by contradictions and unsubstantiated conclusions. [source]


    Addressing the vulnerability of SIDS

    NATURAL RESOURCES FORUM, Issue 2 2007
    Diane Quarless
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    Critical considerations for future action during the second commitment period: A small islands' perspective

    NATURAL RESOURCES FORUM, Issue 2 2007
    Leonard Nurse
    Abstract If the objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is to be achieved, Parties must commit themselves to meeting meaningful long-term targets that, based on current knowledge, would minimize the possibility of irreversible climate change. Current indications are that a global mean temperature rise in excess of 2,3 °C would enhance the risk of destabilizing the climate system as we know it, and possibly lead to catastrophic change such as a shutdown of the deep ocean circulation, and the disintegration of the West Arctic Ice Sheet. Observations have shown that for many small island developing States (SIDS), life-sustaining ecosystems such as coral reefs, already living near the limit of thermal tolerance, are highly climate-sensitive, and can suffer severe damage from exposure to sea temperatures as low as 1 °C above the seasonal maximum. Other natural systems (e.g., mangroves) are similarly susceptible to relatively low temperature increases, coupled with small increments of sea level rise. Economic and social sectors, including agriculture and human health, face similar challenges from the likely impacts of projected climate change. In light of known thresholds, this paper presents the view that SIDS should seek support for a temperature cap not exceeding 1.5,2.0 °C above the pre-industrial mean. It is argued that a less stringent post-Kyoto target would frustrate achievement of the UNFCCC objective. The view is expressed that all countries which emit significant amounts of greenhouse gases should commit to binding reduction targets in the second commitment period, but that targets for developing countries should be less stringent than those agreed for developed countries. Such an arrangement would be faithful to the principles of equity and would ensure that the right of Parties to attain developed country status would not be abrogated. [source]


    Hypoplasia of the arcuate nucleus and maternal smoking during pregnancy in sudden unexplained perinatal and infant death

    NEUROPATHOLOGY, Issue 4 2004
    Anna Maria Lavezzi
    Maternal smoking during pregnancy is the most important risk factor for sudden perinatal and infant death in more industrialized countries. The frequent observation of hypoplasia of the arcuate nucleus in the brainstem of these victims prompted the verification of whether maternal cigarette smoking could be related to defective development of this nucleus during intrauterine life, by affecting the expression of specific genes involved in its developmental process. In serial sections of the brainstem of 54 cases of sudden and unexplained fetal and infant deaths (13 stillbirths, 7 neonatal deaths and 34 sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) victims), morphological and morphometrical analysis was used to observe the different structural alterations of the arcuate nucleus (bilateral hypoplasia, monolateral hypoplasia, partial hypoplasia, delayed neuronal maturation and decreased neuronal density) detected in 24 cases (44%). Correlating this finding with smoking in pregnancy, a significantly increased incidence of cytoarchitectural alterations of the arcuate nucleus was found in stillborns and SIDS victims with smoker mothers compared to victims with non-smoker mothers. Moreover, the observation of a wide range of developing morphological defects of the arcuate nucleus related to maternal smoking led to the hypothesis that the constituents of the gas phase in cigarette smoke could directly affect the expression of genes involved in the development of this nucleus, such as the homeobox En-2 gene. [source]


    Meaning-making in the aftermath of sudden infant death syndrome

    NURSING INQUIRY, Issue 3 2006
    Guenther Krueger
    The reconstruction of meaning in the aftermath of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is part of the grieving process but has to date been poorly understood. Earlier theorists including Freud, Bowlby and Kübler-Ross provided a foundation for what occurs during this time using stage theories. More recent researchers, often using qualitative techniques, have provided a more complex and expanded view that enhances our knowledge of meaning reconstruction following infant loss. This overview of representative contemporary authors compares and contrasts them with the longstanding models that are being supplanted within the emerging field of thanatology. Understanding parental reactions within this new framework can help healthcare professionals in dealing with those affected by SIDS and provide a more empathic and sensitive approach to individual differences. Parents' own accounts of their post-SIDS experience are consistent with these newer theories. Comprehending how parents cope and reconstruct their lives is an important element in providing appropriate psychological support services. [source]


    Changes in the timing of SIDS deaths in 1989 and 1999: indirect evidence of low homicide prevalence among reported cases

    PAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 1 2006
    Harold A. Pollack
    Summary An unknown proportion of cases diagnosed as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) are misdiagnosed, and in some cases are homicides. Because recent SIDS prevention measures were unlikely to reduce homicides, changes in the reported timing of SIDS cases provide an indirect measure of covert homicides in this group. This paper uses United States vital statistics microdata to explore these questions. The sample includes all reported infant deaths to singletons with birthweight > 500 g in the 1989 and 1999 US birth cohorts. Deaths attributed to SIDS (n = 7708), homicide (n = 597), or object inhalation and mechanical suffocation (n = 860) are specifically examined. If reported SIDS cases were a mixture of ,true' cases and misdiagnosed homicides, it is hypothesised that the age-at-death distribution of SIDS deaths would have changed to reflect greater prevalence of misdiagnosed homicide. We find that the age-at-death distribution of reported SIDS cases was virtually unchanged in the two cohorts, showing no increase during periods of infancy when relative homicide risk is most pronounced. One cannot reject the hypothesis that the timing was drawn from the same distribution ( = 62.2, P = 0.157). Analogous results hold for infants born in circumstances associated with high homicide risk ( = 61.5, P = 0.12). The stable age-at-death distribution of reported SIDS cases between 1989 and 1999 suggests that covert homicides are a small fraction of reported SIDS cases. [source]


    Prenatal and intrapartum events and sudden infant death syndrome

    PAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 1 2002
    Hillary S. Klonoff-Cohen
    Summary The purpose of this study was to evaluate specific pregnancy and labour and delivery events that may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). A matched case,control study was conducted in five counties in southern California, using California death certificate records. The sample consisted of 239 Caucasian, African,American, Hispanic and Asian mothers of SIDS infants and 239 mothers of control infants matched on sex, race, birth hospital and date of birth. Mothers participated in a detailed telephone interview and provided access to obstetric and paediatric records. More case than control mothers reported a family history of anaemia (OR = 2.12, P < 0.001). Placental abruptions were strongly associated with SIDS (unadjusted OR = 7.94, [95% CI 1.34,47.12]). There was an increased risk of SIDS death associated with maternal anaemia during pregnancy (OR = 2.51, [95% CI 1.25,5.03]), while simultaneously adjusting for maternal smoking during pregnancy, maternal years of education and age, parity, infant birthweight, gestational age, medical conditions at birth, infant sleep position and post-natal smoking. Interactions of anaemia and prenatal smoking as well as anaemia and post-natal smoking were not statistically significant. There were no other statistically significant differences between case and control mothers for pregnancy conditions, labour and delivery events (e.g. caesarean sections, anaesthesia, forceps) or newborn complications (e.g. nuchal cord, meconium aspiration). Anaemia and placental abruptions were significantly associated with an increased risk of SIDS; both are circumstances in which a fetus may become hypoxic, thereby compromising the subsequent growth, development and ultimate survival of the infant. [source]


    Maternal pre-eclampsia/eclampsia and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in offspring

    PAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 2 2000
    De-Kun Li
    To determine whether maternal exposure to pre-eclampsia/eclampsia during pregnancy increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in offspring, we conducted a population-based case,control study using the California linked birth and death certificate data. All infants who died of SIDS (ICD-9 code 798.0) during 1989,91 were identified as cases. More than 96% of the identified SIDS cases were diagnosed through autopsy. Ten controls who did not die from SIDS were randomly selected for each case from the birth certificate matched to the case on the year of birth. Among 2029 cases and 21 037 controls included in the final analysis, mothers of 49 cases (2.4%) and 406 controls (1.9%) had a diagnosis of either pre-eclampsia or eclampsia noted on the birth certificate. After adjustment for maternal age, prenatal smoking, race/ethnicity, parity, maternal education, gestational age at the initial visit for prenatal care, infant year of birth and infant sex, maternal pre-eclampsia/eclampsia during pregnancy was associated with a 50% increased risk of SIDS in the offspring (odds ratio = 1.5, 95% confidence interval 1.1, 2.0). Potential under-reporting of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia on the birth certificates was likely to be non-differential and is unlikely to explain the finding. Fetal hypoxia resulting from pre-eclampsia/eclampsia or immunological aetiology affecting the risk of both pre-eclampsia/eclampsia and SIDS may explain the finding. [source]


    Laryngeal sensitivity in the neonatal period: From bench to bedside

    PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue 8 2007
    Philippe Reix MD
    Abstract Laryngeal sensitivity in the newborn has been a subject of great interest for both researchers and clinicians for a number of years. From a clinical standpoint, laryngeal sensitivity is essential for both preventing foreign substances from entering into the lower airway and for finely tuning upper airway resistance. However, heightened reflexes originating from the laryngeal receptors in newborns and infants, due to neural immaturity, can lead to potentially dangerous cardiorespiratory events. The latter have been linked to apneas of prematurity, apparent life-threatening events, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). From a physiological standpoint, many mechanisms pertaining to reflexes originating from laryngeal receptors are yet to be fully understood. This short review is an attempt to summarize current knowledge on laryngeal sensitivity and its potential consequences upon control of breathing abnormalities encountered within the first weeks of life. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2007; 42:674,682. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    S28.4: Results from the German case-control death-scene investigation study on SIDS

    BIOMETRICAL JOURNAL, Issue S1 2004
    Martin Schlaud
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    Cytokine gene polymorphisms and sudden infant death syndrome

    ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 3 2010
    L Ferrante
    Abstract Aim:, Several studies indicate that the mucosal immune system is stimulated in cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and our hypothesis is that this immune reaction is because of an unfavourable combination of functional polymorphisms in the cytokine genes. Methods:, Thus, in this study, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes encoding IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IL-13, IL-16, IL-18 and IFN, were investigated in 148 SIDS cases, 56 borderline SIDS cases, 41 cases of infectious death and 131 controls. Results:, Regarding genotype distribution, no differences between the investigated groups were found. However, in the SIDS group, the genotypes IL-8 ,251AA/AT and IL-8 ,781CT/TT were significantly more frequent in the SIDS cases found dead in a prone sleeping position, compared with SIDS cases found dead in other sleeping positions. In addition, there was an association between fever prior to death and the genotype IL-13 +4464GG in the cases of infectious death. Conclusion:, This study indicates that specific interleukin genotypes are a part of a genetic make up that make infants sleeping prone at risk for SIDS. [source]


    Sudden infant death syndrome during low incidence in Sweden 1997,2005

    ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 1 2010
    P Möllborg
    Abstract Background:, Following the change from prone to supine in preferred sleeping position, the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in Sweden fell from 1.1 per 1000 live births in 1992 to 0.41 in 1995. After a further small decline, we have been experiencing a plateau at around 0.25 since 2000. Aim:, To identify the changes that have occurred in the epidemiology of SIDS since the end of the Nordic Epidemiological SIDS Study in 1995. Methods:, Data from the Medical Birth Register of Sweden, covering the years 1995,2005, were used. Sleeping position is not included in the register. Results:, The incidence of SIDS has remained low in Sweden. Independent risk factors were smoking during early pregnancy, parents not living together, low maternal age, high parity and short gestational age. The odds ratio for smoking has continued to increase and the median age of death has continued to decrease since the previous study. We found no signs of seasonality in the current material. Conclusions:, Age at death continued to decrease. The high incidence during weekends persisted. Seasonality was not significant. There was no evidence of a changing effect from risk factors in the studied period. [source]


    SIDS: past, present and future

    ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 11 2009
    Edwin A Mitchell
    Abstract Despite the large reduction in SIDS mortality, which occurred in the early 1990s following the ,Back to Sleep' campaigns, SIDS remains the leading cause of death in the postneonatal age group. This paper describes the position in the 1980s, the contribution of the New Zealand Cot Death Study, what should be recommended and the current research priorities. Conclusion:, SIDS is preventable. Application of what we currently know could eliminate SIDS. The challenge is to find ways of implementing our knowledge. [source]


    Cholinergic and oxidative stress mechanisms in sudden infant death syndrome

    ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 11 2009
    Anne Dick
    Abstract Aim:, To determine whether biochemical parameters of cholinergic and oxidative stress function including red cell acetylcholinesterase (AChE), serum/plasma thyroglobulin, selenium, iron, ferritin, vitamins C, E, and A affect risk in apparent life-threatening event (ALTE), sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI). To assess these biochemical parameters as a function of age; and for influence of pharmacology and epidemiology, including infant health, care, and feeding practices. Methods:, A multicentre, case,control study with blood samples from 34 ALTE and 67 non-ALTE (control) infants matched for age, and 30 SIDS/SUDI and four non-SIDS/non-SUDI (post-mortem control) infants. Results:, Levels/activity of the biochemical parameters were not significantly different in ALTE vs. control infants, with the exception of higher vitamin C levels in the ALTE group (p = 0.009). In ALTE and control groups, AChE and thyroglobulin levels increased and decreased respectively from birth to attain normal adult levels from 6 months. Levels of iron and ferritin were higher in the first 6 month period for all infant groups studied, intersecting with vitamin C levels peaking around 4 months of age. Conclusion:, Lower AChE levels and higher combined levels of iron and vitamin C in the first 6 months of life may augment cholinergic and oxidative stress effect, particularly at the age when SIDS is most prevalent. This may contribute to risk of ALTE and SIDS/SUDI events during infancy. [source]


    Quantitative neuropathological analysis of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

    CHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2002
    T. Ansari
    Abstract Detailed stereological analyses of specific regions of brains of children who had died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) was undertaken to determine whether global evidence of an underlying pathology exists, contributing to an increased susceptibility to SIDS. A significant reduction in the total number of neocortical neurones and neurone volume was observed in SIDS normal birth weight (NBW) infants in comparison to controls. A significant reduction in both volume and total neurone number were also noted in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus in SIDS NBW group when compared with controls. Anomalies in regions of the brain involved with cardiorespiratory control (brainstem) and arousal (brainstem and neocortex) may play a crucial role in the chain of events resulting in a SIDS event. [source]