Doctors who have spent years studying the cause behind sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) claim that they were able to identify a key reason for it.
Key Cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome May Have Been Found
According to the study "Video Analyses of Sudden Unexplained Deaths in Toddlers," brief seizures that are accompanied by muscle convulsions could be a possible reason behind these odd and tragic infant deaths faced by thousands of families across the US every year.
Dr. Laura Gould from NYU Langone, who is the study's lead researcher, explains that their research, despite being small, grants the earliest direct evidence that seizures could be the reason behind sudden deaths among children that typically go unnoticed during sleep.
SIDS, which is also referred to as crib death, usually hits infants that are yet to reach the 6-month mark. In most cases, these deaths happen during sleep. Among older children, the event is known as sudden unexplained death in children (SUDC).
Dr. Gould helped with the establishment of the SUDC Registry and Research Collaborative at NYU Langone after she lost her 15-month-old daughter in 1997 due to SUDC.
Her research team examined over 300 SUDC cases within the registry. They looked into medical records and video recordings of sleeping babies. They also examined seven cases where death was likely due to seizures. The footage revealed that the convulsions lasted for less than 60 seconds, with the unfortunate events happening within 30 minutes of the death of the child.
Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist and the senior investigator of the study who aided with the establishment of the registry explains that convulsive seizures could be the smoking gun that the field of medicine has been searching for to understand these deaths. Dr. Devinsky adds that looking into the phenomenon may offer crucial insight into various other deaths, including those due to epilepsy and SIDS.
In the past, scientists have noted a link between seizures and SUDC. They found that those who had febrile seizures had a ten times higher likelihood of dying unexpectedly and suddenly.
While the NYU team noted that their data was insufficient to show if fever led to the deaths they looked into, they were able to observe that several children had mild infection signs. Dr. Gould explains that if they can figure out the children who are at risk, their outcomes could be changed.
However, according to experts, further study is necessary to know how seizures could result in death.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
SIDS generally refers to a baby's unexplained death. In this case, the baby is typically less than a year old and appears healthy. Most SIDS cases happen during sleep. For infants who are one month to 1 year old, SIDS is the leading cause of death.
While there is no definitive prevention of SIDS, there are some ways to help one's baby sleep more safely. For one, the baby must be positioned correctly while resting on the back. During the baby's first year of life, it is crucial to ensure that the baby is put in the back position when asleep. The baby should not be positioned on their side or stomach.
The stomach position can only be used when the caregiver and the baby are awake. Short "tummy time" periods could help build the baby's muscle strength, but the baby should never be left alone during these times.
Other ways to ensure safety are to keep the crib bare, not overheat the baby, let the baby sleep in the caregiver's room, breastfeed the baby, use a pacifier, and vaccinate the baby.
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