Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

                 During infancy Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is a growing concern of parents and care givers.    Since 1992 SIDS rates have dropped since parents were alerted to place their infants to sleep on their backs and sides to help reduce the chances of SIDS. According to studies SIDS remains the number one culprit of infant deaths each year in the United States. The apparent cause of SIDS is still unknown. Many parents seek more information on its causes from popular print and internet media because of the convenience; not certain of their accuracy. How accurate are the popular media sources? This blog will briefly compare and contrast the accuracy of two articles published about SIDS, one from a popular media site, Health NewsFlash and the other from the database of ProQuest Psychology Journal.

The article, Sudden Infant Death  Syndrome, published in the Lancet  defines SIDS as "the sudden death of an infant under one year of age, which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history". This journal article provides an overview of  SIDS which also discusses the epidemiological and  pathophysiological findings, risk reductions and  controversies related to some  of  the  recommendations.  The article is very detailed stating research results from several different sources. The article points out that, despite the overall decline in SIDS worldwide, there are still racial and ethnic disparities. In the USA, infants who are African American, Native American, or Alaska Native have SIDS rates that are two to three times the national average, irrespective of socioeconomic status.

According  to Health Newsflash, SIDS, is the diagnosis given for the sudden death of an infant under one year of  age  that remains unexplained after a complete investigation, which includes an autopsy, examination of  the death  scene, and a review of the systems or illness the infant  had prior to dying and any other pertinent medical history.  This article provides risk factors related  to SIDS pointing  out  that  mothers  who smoke  during  pregnancy  are three times more likely  to have a Sudden Infant  Death  Syndrome baby and  exposure  to passive  smoke from smoking by  mothers, fathers, and others  in  the  household doubles  a  baby’s risk of  SIDS. It  also list  other  risk such as  the  age  of  the  mother at the time of  their  first  pregnancy  and the lack of  prenatal care. The article also described   possible causes of SID. According to Health Newsflash, Studies of SIDS victims reveal that many Sudden Infant Death Syndrome infants have abnormalities in the "arcuate nucleus," a portion of the brain that is likely to be involved in controlling breathing and waking during sleep. Babies born with defects in other portions of the brain or body may also be more prone to a sudden death. These abnormalities may stem from prenatal exposure to a toxic substance, or lack of a vital compound in the prenatal environment, such as sufficient oxygen. Cigarette smoking during pregnancy, for example, can reduce the amount of oxygen the fetus receives. 

In comparing the two articles I found that the media article would be easier for a parent or care giver to understand.  The research article provides more scientific descriptions making it a little more difficult for someone to understand who is not familiar with some of the terms. The web article was written more from an information standpoint.   Most of the information in the research article did appear in the popular web article.  The research article states, “Warmer room temperatures and multiple layers of clothing or blankets on the infant have also been associated with an increased SIDS risk. This increased risk of overheating is particularly evident when infants are sleeping in the prone position and heat loss from the face is reduced; the risk is less clear when infants are supine.”  According to Health Newsflash, Babies should be kept warm, but they should not be allowed to get too warm because an overheated baby is more likely to go into a deep sleep from which it is difficult to arouse. The temperature in the baby’s room should feel comfortable to an adult and overdressing the baby should be avoided. The two articles also stress the factor that smoking plays in SIDS. The journal article  published in Lancet states, Maternal smoking during pregnancy is a major risk factor in almost every epidemiological study of SIDS. Postnatal exposure to tobacco smoke has emerged as a separate risk factor in a few studies, although this variable is difficult to separate from maternal smoking prenatally. Prenatal smoke exposure results in decreased lung volume and compliance and decreased heart rate variability to stress. Additionally, nicotine has neuro teratogenic effects, resulting in alterations in autonomic pathways, including decreased arousal to hypoxia and other stimuli. All of these effects could directly affect SIDS risk. If in-utero smoke exposure was eliminated, a third of SIDS deaths could possibly be prevented.

 Research documented in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics states that risk factors for SIDS vary across countries and, therefore, are likely to contribute to the variability in rates. According to reports from smoking rates are high among the Maori in New Zealand and American Indians, groups in which the rate of SIDS remains high.

Though both articles viewed several issues relating to SIDS similarly there is one issue that the two differed in. Breasting feeding according to Health Newsflash was mentioned to have been a risk reduction factor. Stating, “There is some evidence to suggest that breast feeding might reduce the risk of SIDS. A few studies have found Sudden Infant Death Syndrome to be less common in infants who have been breastfed. This may be because breast milk can provide protection from some infections that can trigger sudden death in infants.”  The journal article discusses epidemiological studies have produced inconsistent findings on the protective effect of breastfeeding for SIDS. Some studies have shown a protective effect where as others did not show an effect.

SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants 1 month to 1 year old, and claims the lives of about 2,500 each year in the United States. Despite years of research it remains unpredictable.  With more information and risk interventions the reduction of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome will go on an incline. I found both articles to be very informative, providing generally the same information just in a completely different format. It’s  important that  you  check other facts and not  always  rely  on one particular source especially  when dealing  with  issue as SIDS.

  Though researchers are still searching for the underlying cause of SIDS, in the process key suggestions to prevention have been established.  This information was particularly of interest to me in that parents need to more information and education about the risk of SIDS and key preventions. As a child care provider is my responsibility to aid in the efforts of parents being aware of SIDS.  One way in which several states child care licensing facilities are helping in the cause is by providing information to child care centers so that they may forward the information to parents.  Reflecting on this information today I have decided that in addition to the parent training that my center offers that I will also included training on the Risks and Affects of SIDS. Just based on my research different articles it is one thing to provide the information to a parent. It is the next action we take in making sure that they understand the language on the risk of SIDS.

References

       

  

 Hauck R.F. and Kawai T., International Trends in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Stabilization of Rates Requires Further Action , Pediatrics September 2008; 122:3 660-666; doi:10.1542/peds.2007-0135

     

Health Newsflash, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Fact Book(2002) retrieved January 11,2012 http://www.healthnewsflash.com/conditions/sids.htm 

Moon, R., Horne, R., & Hauck, F. (2007). Sudden infant death syndrome. The Lancet, 370(9598), 1578-87.  Retrieved September 19,2009, from ProQuest Medical Library. (Document ID: 1383348921).