Sudden

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot death or crib death, is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remains unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and detailed death scene investigation. SIDS usually occurs during sleep. Typically death occurs between the hours of 00:00 and 09:00. There is usually no evidence of struggle and no noise produced.

Causes

The exact cause of SIDS is unknown. The requirement of a combination of factors including a specific underlying susceptibility, a specific time in development, and an environmental stressor has been proposed. These environmental stressors may include sleeping on the stomach or side, overheating, and exposure to tobacco smoke. Accidental suffocation from bed sharing (also known as co-sleeping) or soft objects may also play a role. Another risk factor is being born before 39 weeks of gestation. SIDS makes up about 80% of sudden and unexpected infant deaths (SUIDs).

Prevention

Prevention measures include putting the baby on their back to sleep (not on the stomach), 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. Breastfeeding and immunization may also be preventive. While devices that monitor a baby's vitals are available, it is not recommended for preventing SIDS. It is also recommended that an infant sleep in the same room as the caregiver.

Epidemiology

SIDS was the third leading cause of infant death in the U.S. in 2011. About 0.5 in 1,000 babies are affected in the developed world. SIDS is more common among male infants, infants who were prematurely born, American Indians, and African Americans. In the United States, it is most common in the Midwest and least common in the Northeast. The syndrome is rare during the first month of life, increases to a peak at two to three months of age, and then decreases.

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