Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), or cot
death as it’s sometimes known, is every parent’s nightmare. As its name
suggests, SIDS is the term used to describe the sudden and unexpected death of
a baby for no obvious reason and it’s the leading cause of death in babies over
one month old. In fact, it claims more lives than meningitis, leukaemia, other
forms of cancer, household and road traffic accidents and seven babies a week
die from SIDS in the UK alone.
In 1991, the Reduce the Risk campaign was
introduced in England in Wales. It highlighted the key ways of reducing the
risk of cot death, such as putting your baby to sleep on his back and getting
the temperature of the room right. According to the Foundation for the Study of
Infant Deaths (FSID), it seemed to have a significant effect, as since then the
number of babies dying of cot death has fallen by about 75 per cent.
SIDS can affect any baby, although
premature infants, low-birth weight babies and boys tend to have a higher risk.
SIDS is an uncommon occurrence in babies less than a month old, but the risk
rises to a peak during the second month, diminishing as the baby gets older.
“Nearly 90 per cent of cot deaths have occurred by six months, and very few
occur after a year,” explains a spokesperson for FSID.
A death can occur at any time of year, but
is more frequent during the colder winter months, and it can happen anywhere
and at any time – not just when a baby is in their cot. The key factor is that
they’re normally asleep, so they could be in a pram or lying in their parent’s
arms.
Potential
causes
The exact reason for SIDS is often unclear.
In less than half of all deaths, a post mortem examination reveals a specific
cause, such as an infection, metabolic disorder, accident or congenital
abnormality. But some cases still remain uncertain. “For the SIDS cases that
remain unexplained, researchers think there are likely to be undiscovered
causes,” say FSID. “For many, it is likely that a combination of factors affect
a baby at a vulnerable stage of development.”
Research is constantly underway and recent
findings suggest a genetic defect may hold the clue to cot death. A team from
the University of Bristol joined forces with American experts and discovered
that many different types of brain cells are essential for normal breathing,
but only a tiny number play a role in the gasping reflex.
It’s been thought for a while that a
failure to gasp may be linked to cot death, but until now no-one has understood
why it should happen. Now it seems that a genetic defect may prevent some
babies who stop breathing to kick-start their lungs.
“Our findings are exciting,” said Professor
Walter St. John, one of the researchers. “They demonstrate that emergency
breathing or gasping is regulated by different mechanisms than those for normal
breathing. Sudden infant death syndrome results from inadequate
auto-resuscitation. Children that die have been unable to produce a
gasping-like response after they stop breathing, to reactivate their normal
breathing and reactivate their heart.”
The research could help shed light on high
profile cases such as those of Angela Cannings, Sally Clark and Donna Anthony,
who were wrongly convicted of killing their babies. The team are now going on
to investigate whether the brains of cot death babies are different to those of
other children.
Cot death isn’t something to become
complacent about and, despite the fervent message about the need to put babies
to sleep on their back, a recent survey by FSID discovered that 21% of mothers
still don’t always do this, resulting in a nine times increased risk of cot
death. FSID suggest this could be because parents are worried about ‘flat head
syndrome’, or plagiocephaly. The condition which is entirely cosmetic, almost
always corrects itself within a year and could be avoided if parents give their
baby plenty of awake time on the front or sitting up.
“We’re really alarmed to see that a fifth
of babies aren’t being placed on the back to sleep,” said Joyce Epstein,
director of FSID. “Our fear is that the lifesaving message to sleep babies on
the back to reduce the risk of cot death will be undermined by a mistaken
perception that flattened heads poses a greater danger. It does not.”
Reducing the risk
There are a number of practical steps you
can take to reduce the risk of SIDS. The top tips recommended by FSID are:
* Stopping smoking during pregnancy – and
fathers, too.
* Not smoking in the same room as your
baby.
* Placing your baby on his back to sleep.
* Avoiding letting your baby get too hot –
the ideal temperature is 16-20 degrees.
* Keeping your baby’s head uncovered when
sleeping.
* Place your baby’s feet at the foot of the
cot, to prevent wriggling down under the covers.
* Having your baby sleep in a cot in your
bedroom for the first six months.
* Not sharing a bed with your baby if you
or your partner smoke, you feel very tried, you take any drugs or medication
that makes you sleepy or you’ve been drinking alcohol.
* If your baby is unwell, seek medical
advice promptly.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome