Every year, approximately 2500 babies die from sudden death syndrome1 in the US. Sudden death syndrome (SIDS), also known as crib death, is the unexplainable death of an infant under one year of age.
Although the numbers have dropped significantly in the last couple of years, SIDS is still the leading cause of infant mortality in Western countries. The risk for SIDS is higher between the 2nd and the 4th months and reduces after the 6th month, with 90% of SIDS deaths occurring before the 6th month.
Risk Factors for SIDS
The exact cause of SIDS is unknown, but when biologically vulnerable babies are exposed to certain risks, they can die suddenly. It’s important to note that these risk factors are not the cause of SIDS but can contribute to it. They can either work in isolation or together to trigger SIDS in an infant. Some of these risk factors include:
SIDS often occurs while a baby is asleep, although, on some rare occasions, it has happened while a baby is awake. Studies show that a baby’s sleeping position can increase the chances of SIDS. The proper sleeping position for a baby is on its back.
Placing the baby on its stomach increases the risk for SIDS. Extra beddings or stuffed animals can also increase this risk. A baby’s bed should be clear of any extra paraphernalia. In addition to this, too high or too low temperatures are known to increase the risk.
There is a link between nicotine levels and SIDS. Studies show that the chances of SIDS are higher for babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy or afterward. Alcohol intake is also a similar risk factor. Approximately 16.41% of SIDS cases can be traced back to maternal alcohol use disorder2.
Pregnancy-related risk factors include the mother's age (with babies from teenage mothers having the highest risk for SIDS), anemia, low birth weight, and premature birth.
Male babies are 50% more at risk for SIDS than females. For every two female deaths caused by SIDS, 3.15 male deaths occur from the same cause.
Diagnosing SIDS
Since SIDS does not have a definite known cause, doctors often diagnose it in exclusion. This means that SIDS is often the cause of death after an autopsy has ruled out all other probable causes.
Without a specific cause, it is quite challenging to protect babies from SIDS but not exposing your baby to these risk factors is a good place to start.
Reference:
1)SIDS Factsheet. Illinois Department of Health Website. http://www.idph.state.il.us/sids/sids_factsheet.htm. Last accessed April 30, 2021.
2) O'Leary CM, Jacoby PJ, Bartu A, D'Antoine H, Bower C. Maternal alcohol use and sudden infant death syndrome and infant mortality excluding SIDS. Pediatrics. 2013 Mar;131(3):e770-8. doi: 10.1542/peds.2012-1907. Epub 2013 Feb 25. PMID: 23439895.