Great progress has been made in reducing the number of deaths from SIDS, especially since 1992 when parents were told to put their babies to sleep on their backs rather than their tummies. And risk factors have been identified too, including smoking, drinking or using drugs when pregnant, premature births, exposure to second-hand smoke and overheating.
Other suggestions for parents and caregivers include using only a firm mattress and never placing soft toys or pillows close to the baby while sleeping. Breastfeeding and use of a pacifier are also recommended and taking the child into the parents’ bed is discouraged.
Important clues have been gleaned from the investigation of medical examiners following death. All circumstances have been gathered and compared, such as circumstances of death, medical histories of the family, ethnicity and income, educational and employment status of the parents. Autopsies have helped to identify similar factors, such as a slower brain maturation that appears in SIDS infants.
These investigations have helped in research as the information is compared and findings used to look for causes. It’s important that all reporting procedures are similar, so limitations have been experienced because all countries do not follow identical procedures, making data comparison difficult.
Good prenatal care is vital as a trauma before birth can cause a baby’s nervous system to be deficient in producing a normal arousal response while sleeping if an interruption in adequate oxygen should occur. Parents have reported a listlessness and passive behaviours just prior to death and these observances have been added to the research information, along with other behavioural clues. In some cases, inherited metabolic disorders have been noted and research is under way to identify how they interact with environmental and internal triggers to result in sudden death.
The new study has researchers excited about getting closer to being able to identify risk at birth, bringing assurance to parents and giving them the tools to ensure their baby grows up to be a healthy child and adult.
