Causes of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), risk factors, prevention. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Until what age should parents be afraid

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS, "death in the cradle") is the death of a child under the age of 1 year with no signs of illness and no features at autopsy. This phenomenon is one of the most mysterious and tragic in medicine; there are many myths and legends around it.

To avoid unnecessary fears for the child, as well as to prevent SIDS, you need to know the scientific point of view on this issue.

What is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome?

The term SIDS was introduced in the late 60s of the last century, although cases of sudden death of infants have been described earlier, such facts are found in the literature everywhere. Only in the 1980s and 1990s, after studying risk factors, pediatricians began to conduct active campaigns to prevent this syndrome.

SIDS is a diagnosis of exclusion. Despite high adaptive capabilities, infants often die from external and internal causes. Most often, these are malformations, infectious diseases, injuries (including intentional ones) and tumors. Usually, the cause of death can be determined from the medical history and autopsy results. But sometimes no research provides answers to questions. A healthy, normally developing baby falls asleep, and after a while the parents find him dead in his crib. It is this sudden and uncaused death that is called SIDS.

Why does SIDS occur?

The risk of sudden death in crib is highest in children aged 2-4 months, gradually decreases by 6 months and tends to zero after 9 months. Scientists have found out up to what age the syndrome of sudden infant death is dangerous, but could not establish the cause. A number of features characteristic of all victims of SIDS have been identified. So, at autopsy, children were found to have underdeveloped parts of the brain (the arcuate nucleus, for example), which are responsible for the synchronism of cardiovascular and respiratory activity.

Long QT hypothesis

The time from the beginning of the contraction of the ventricles of the heart to their relaxation is indicated on the cardiogram by the Q-T interval. According to various estimates, the lengthening of this moment to 440-450 ms is called an extended QT. The connection of this feature with sudden coronary death in adults has been proven long ago. Now it turned out that in 30-35% of children who died from SIDS, such increased intervals were registered at which electrical instability of the heart muscle occurs. And often this feature is absolutely physiological, reaches a peak by 2 months and disappears by six months, which coincides with age-related risks of sudden death.

Apnea hypothesis

In many healthy children, there is a phenomenon of periodic breathing, when deep breaths are interspersed with intervals of 3 to 20 seconds. But in some cases, the pauses between respiratory movements increase significantly. Most often this happens with. Such apnea (cessation of breathing) lasting more than 20 disappears after the premature babies reach the age corresponding to 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Although in rare cases, long pauses persist in full-term children. Scientists have identified some relationship between such apnea and SIDS, so premature babies with large breath holdings are recommended to install special breath recorders.

Serotonin receptor deficiency

A lack of serotonin-catching cells located in certain parts of the brain is a common autopsy finding in victims of SIDS. This deficiency is concentrated in the area of the brain responsible for cardio-respiratory synchrony, that is, for the connection between breathing and heart rate. There is a hypothesis according to which it is defects in serotonin receptors that cause respiratory arrest during sleep in children.

Hypothesis of incomplete thermoregulation

It is believed that the vital centers in the medulla oblongata mature in children until they are three months old. With immature brain cells responsible for thermoregulation, the average body temperature in babies is below normal. By about 3 months of age, temperature constancy occurs (when measured in the rectum). Shortly before the maturation of these cells, fluctuations in the numbers on the thermometer and an inadequate temperature response may be noted. That is, when the microclimate of the bedroom changes, the baby can simply overheat, which will affect the respiratory and cardiac activity and lead to sudden death.

There are many other hypotheses (genetic, infectious, vertebral artery clamping hypothesis), but none of them explains absolutely all cases of SIDS.

Mechanism of sudden death

SIDS requires a combination of genetic factors, critical age, and adverse environmental conditions. Usually, children laid on their stomachs in a soft bed wake up instantly with a lack of oxygen and change their position. But for some babies, this defense mechanism does not work. They can bury themselves in the feather bed, the oxygen content in the blood will drop and the level of carbon dioxide will increase, but reflex awakening will not occur. The child will inhale the waste air again and again until the oxygen level becomes critical and leads to death. An additional factor, such as parental smoking, also causes a violation of this protective reflex.

Risk Factors for SIDS

Despite unsuccessful searches for the exact cause of sudden infant death, scientists have identified several risk factors. The exclusion of these factors can reduce the number of sudden deaths at times, although many predisposing features cannot be eliminated.

Factors associated with pregnancy and childbirth

maternal drug abuse and smoking during pregnancy
intrauterine hypoxia and developmental delay
prematurity

Features of the child

male, age 2-4 months
resuscitation in the past (the more episodes in the life of the child requiring emergency care, the higher the risks)
the child's brother or sister died of SIDS (this applies to deaths from any non-communicable disease, not just SIDS)
frequent and prolonged episodes of apnea, high awakening threshold

baby sleep conditions

sleep in the position on the stomach and on the side
parental smoking after childbirth
soft bed, feather bed, pillow
overheating, cold weather
living at high altitudes above sea level

The main factors in the occurrence of sudden uncaused death of a baby are sleeping on the stomach, conditions in the crib and smoking of the parents.

Sleeping in the prone position

Years of research have proven that a baby sleeping on their stomach is at greater risk of sudden death. It is especially dangerous to put children on their stomach in a dream after a long break or for the first time, that is, to create the so-called "unaccustomed position on the stomach." Most often it occurs during daytime sleep outside the home.

Previously, it was believed that the position on the side does not pose a threat. But now it is known that the risk of such a position is no less, since children often turn from it on their stomach. Therefore, the only safe position can be considered the position on the back. The exceptions are conditions in which sleeping on the back is contraindicated (underdevelopment of the lower jaw, pronounced gastroesophageal reflux). These children often spit up and may inhale the vomit. The vast majority of babies sleep comfortably on their backs without the risk of choking.

Sleep conditions

An important element of the safety of the baby is the situation in his bedroom and specifically in the crib. Potentially leading to sudden death can be:

Warm quilts
Volumetric soft pillows
Soft duvets and mattresses
Elevated room temperature
Co-sleeping with parents

Smoking parents

Nicotine addiction of mom and dad harms not only their own health, but also adversely affects the child. There are several versions of why passive inhalation of tobacco smoke leads to sudden death in a dream. The most common is a decrease in the amount of catecholamines responsible for sensitivity to oxygen starvation under the influence of nicotine.

Since smoking mothers most often smoked during pregnancy, their children are characterized by delayed development of all parts of the brain, including the centers of cardiac and respiratory regulation. The combination of these factors leads to such a tragic consequence as SIDS.

What can be hidden under the mask of SAF?

Most infant deaths have causes. Sometimes, in order to find these causative factors, a thorough investigation and autopsy by experts is carried out. And only occasionally does death remain a mystery, receiving the name SIDS.

Consequences of abuse

The death of a child may be the result of a parent's outburst of anger, or it may be due to chronic beatings and bullying. Unfortunately, this happens more often than we would like. And if the doctors who arrived at the scene of the tragedy immediately find serious injuries and fractures, then it is not possible to immediately see some of the consequences of violence.

These include intentional strangulation and shaken baby syndrome. The latter is damage to the thin vessels of the brain as a result of shaking the baby. The weak neck and relatively large head of a child of the first year of life predispose to severe brain damage up to loss of consciousness, coma and death.

A repeated case of SIDS in the family suggests the possibility of child abuse. If a third child dies just as suddenly, then forensic doctors do not doubt the abuse of the parents.

Unintentional suffocation

Sleepless nights, hormonal changes, and on-demand breastfeeding exhaust every mom. Therefore, her night's sleep can be very strong, despite the increased sensitivity to the cries of the baby. If the baby sleeps in the same bed as the mother, then there is some risk of unintentional suffocation. This risk increases several times when the mother takes alcohol or drugs for insomnia.

One of the most famous literary and historical facts of SIDS was the parable of Solomon's judgment from the Old Testament. Two mothers came to Solomon, one of whom found her child dead in bed (“sleeped” him) and put the little body in the bed of the second mother.

She called the living baby her son. Solomon wisely judged the women's dispute, giving the child to a real mother, who did not agree to cut it into two parts. Since then, the habit of putting the baby in the parents' bed has appeared and disappeared in different nations.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, there were even strict prohibitions on co-sleeping, and “sprinkling” a child was equated with deliberate murder. Currently, most mothers try to put their babies in a separate bed, although cases of their sudden death still occur.

Viral and bacterial infections

In infants, many infectious diseases occur atypically. In severe organ damage, sometimes there are no clear symptoms. This is especially true for small premature babies. Therefore, before making a diagnosis of SIDS, the pathologist will definitely exclude pneumonia, meningitis and other severe complications of infections.

Prevention of SIDS

Sudden infant death cannot be predicted and prevented with 100% certainty. But you can provide a safe environment for your baby and eliminate many risk factors.

Home breathing monitoring

In recent years, many home devices have appeared that allow you to monitor the child’s breathing, pulse, and even oxygen saturation of his blood. Such devices operate on the principle of a baby monitor, giving parents a sound signal during long pauses in the baby's breathing and heart rhythm disturbances. But, unfortunately, studies have not proven at least some preventive benefit of such devices. Home monitoring does little to reduce the incidence of SIDS. The use of sensors is permissible only in children of high risk groups:

Babies who have had episodes of fainting, blueing, requiring emergency care (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)
Premature small birth babies with frequent episodes of apnea
Children with proven respiratory disease leading to respiratory arrest

Useless commercial novelties include wedges, as well as all kinds of sleep positioners. These devices fix the child, preventing him from turning on his stomach. From a statistical point of view, the risks of sudden death in such children do not decrease at all.

SIDS and vaccination

Anti-vaccination campaigners take pleasure in using the SIDS phenomenon to scare parents with the "vaccination horrors". Indeed, a baby's first vaccinations often coincide with the peak rate of sudden death. But numerous large-scale studies have shown that the coincidence of vaccination episodes and sudden death is completely random. Moreover, vaccinated children die in the cradle much less often than unvaccinated ones. Lack of vaccination will not only not protect against SIDS, but will also increase the risk of dying from respiratory arrest with whooping cough, for example.

When should you pay special attention to your child?

In some circumstances, it is necessary to show a little more attention to the health of the baby in order to avoid a tragic outcome.

High fever in a child, especially during sleep
Refusal to eat, reduced physical activity
All respiratory diseases (pharyngitis, bronchitis, even the common cold)
Baby's sleep after a long tantrum and crying
Sleep in unusual conditions (at a party, not in your bed)

Help for parents who have experienced the sudden death of a child

The bitterness of such an unexpected and heavy loss is incomparable to anything. But it must be remembered that SIDS is impossible to foresee and prevent, and there is no fault of the parents in the death of the child. Therefore, it is necessary to seek help from a psychologist, start classes in support groups and continue to live on. Most families manage to maintain unity, have children and avoid a repeat of the tragedy.

Key Findings About SIDS

The sudden death of a healthy child is a tragic but extremely rare occurrence.
It is impossible to predict the development of SIDS
A post-mortem diagnosis of SIDS is made only if there are no signs of illness or violence.
Key measures to prevent sudden infant death: sleeping on your back, bed with hard mattress, no pillow and light blanket/sleeping bag, and parents not smoking
Home devices for monitoring breathing and heart rate are necessary only for children at risk
The presence in medicine of such a phenomenon as SIDS is not a reason for the development of anxiety in mom and dad. Create a safe environment for your child and enjoy parenthood!

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the death of a child between the ages of 1 week and a year. As a rule, it comes unexpectedly. At the same time, there are also no signs of various diseases or developmental abnormalities at the autopsy that could cause the death of the baby. Pathology is still not fully understood, therefore, the main triggers of the terrible syndrome have not been established. Scientists still continue to consider this phenomenon one of the most mysterious and tragic at the same time.

Statistics show that boys suffer from this disease to a greater extent (about 60%), and the maximum number of deaths occurs at 3-6 months of a child's life. And most often children die late at night or early in the morning. The number of tragic cases also depends on the season. It has been proven that in winter and spring, due to common infections, deaths among children are recorded more often.

About pathology

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) officially appeared in the early 60s of the 19th century, although it had been seen almost everywhere before. But it was not until the 1980s that a group of doctors began to campaign against the occurrence of this disease.

The dangerous disorder is often referred to as the exclusion syndrome. Typically, the risk group is: infectious diseases, tumors, various malformations and injuries. Often, the cause of a child's death can still be determined through a thorough examination of the medical history and autopsy results. But even such studies do not always provide detailed answers to all exciting questions. So, sometimes even an absolutely healthy child may simply not wake up in the morning. In such cases, doctors talk about SIDS.

The risk of the syndrome increases dramatically with a combination of three factors: genetic changes, the critical age of the child, and inappropriate environmental conditions for healthy development. For example, a healthy baby with a lack of oxygen during sleep will definitely wake up and turn his head. In the case of pathology, the protective mechanism does not work: children bury their faces in the mattress, the oxygen content in the blood decreases, the child suffocates and dies. Smoking of his parents can also lead to the death of a newborn, since a bad habit also reduces the level of a protective reflex.

Causes of the syndrome

Numerous scientists and pediatricians have not yet been able to come to a unified decision and identify absolutely all the causes of the development of the disease. But experts have proven that most often death occurs due to dysfunction of the heart muscle or due to a disorder of the respiratory system. So, in a dream, any child's cough reflex is weakened and muscle tone decreases. With the syndrome, the body of a sick baby will not be able to cope with it. There will be suffocation, death will come.

There is evidence that SIDS may be the result of congenital disorders of the brain stem.. This conclusion was made by a group of doctors from Boston. They believe that the pathology has nothing to do with the child's sleep, and death occurs due to respiratory arrest.

Texas researchers believe that the dangerous condition arises from the loss of a special gene. It is responsible for the functioning of brain signals and is involved in the regulation of the breathing process during the accumulation of carbon dioxide. In this case, the baby may die due to the relaxation of reflexes. The risks increase significantly if the room has poor ventilation or the child constantly overheats.

Some scientists hypothesize that an unsafely equipped sleeping place for an infant is the culprit for SIDS.. A mattress or pillow that is too soft can lead to the death of a baby when he sleeps on his stomach. They "block" the baby's nose, causing respiratory arrest. That is why many pediatricians advise choosing a hard mattress for a newborn and completely abandoning the pillow.

The time of year also affects the number of deaths. It has been proven that during cold weather, when the number of respiratory diseases especially increases, the death of newborns is recorded more often.

In asocial families, the threat to a child's life increases significantly. The bad habits of parents and the lack of favorable sanitary conditions can undermine the health of the baby.

It has also been established that there is a genetic predisposition to the development of the syndrome. Its first signs are breath holding or short-term cardiac arrest in infancy.

Risk factors

Scientists believe that the main cause of SIDS is a malfunction of the neurohumoral system. Also, almost all newborns experience sleep apnea. But if the disorder recurs several times per hour and lasts about 15 seconds or more, you should immediately contact your pediatrician. Exactly the same as in the case of a dangerous syndrome due to disruption of the cardiac system.

Experts identify other common risk factors, which include:

Male sex of the newborn;
Age from 1 week to 1 year;
The death of a blood relative from SIDS;
Small birth weight of the baby;
Intrauterine diseases;
fetal hypoxia;
prematurity;
Multiple births;
miscarriages and abortions;
Injury at birth;
Mother's age is less than 16 years;
Frequent overheating of the newborn;
Poor ventilation of the room where the baby sleeps;
Smoking next to the baby;
Cold season;
Baby sleep on stomach
Too soft featherbed;
Too tight swaddling.

There is also a version that pathologies are most susceptible to infants who regularly experience psycho-emotional stress. Sometimes doctors are inclined to think that the death could have occurred as a result of the joint sleep of the child and parents.

Symptoms

The death of a child due to a dangerous pathology can last for 30 minutes, but the pathology develops at lightning speed. That is why it is important to know its first signs in order to try to help the child and save his life.

If you suspect the risk of developing sudden death syndrome, parents should definitely pay attention to the general condition of the baby. If for a long time there is a weakening or holding of breath, an unhealthy cough or unnatural movements of facial expressions, it is necessary to call an ambulance. Often the condition is accompanied by general weakness, decreased muscle tone, blue skin.

More attention to the health of the newborn should be shown especially in cases where:

The baby's temperature rises rapidly.
The kid refuses to eat.
The child becomes lethargic and inactive.
The newborn is sick with a respiratory disease.
The baby sleeps in unsuitable conditions for this.
The child falls asleep after prolonged crying or tantrums.

What can be confused with sudden infant death syndrome?

There are cases in history when the parents of a newborn child tried to pass off his violent death as sudden infant death syndrome. In this case, real investigations and forensic examinations were carried out, which helped to establish the real cause of the child's death. So what can pathology be confused with?

Consequences of child abuse

The death of a newborn can occur not only due to any diseases or injuries, but also due to inadequate and cruel treatment of the parents. Moreover, stories about beating their own children over the years are only gaining momentum.

It is not always possible for doctors to immediately establish the true cause of death of a child at the scene of the tragedy. Injuries can be hidden, for example, in the case of shaking the baby. The blood vessels of the brain rupture in a newborn, he loses consciousness, coma or clinical death occurs.

Thoughts about child abuse in the family can also be prompted by a repeated fatal case with SIDS syndrome.

Accident, suffocation

Hormonal surges, lack of sleep and endless care for a child can cause a mental breakdown in a young mother. In this state, women do not control their behavior, they cease to adequately assess reality, which ultimately leads to the most terrible consequences. That is why it is important that the mother really gets enough sleep and can at least sometimes rest during the day.

Sometimes, due to fatigue and your own inattention, there is a risk of inadvertent accidental suffocation during the sleep of parents with a child. It especially increases when the mother is drunk or takes medication for insomnia for a long time.

Thus, back in the 19th century, a strict ban was announced on the joint sleep of children and their parents, and the “accidental” death of a baby meant a deliberate murder. Therefore, young parents should be more careful and equip the child with his own safe sleeping place.

Various kinds of infections

In newborns, many infectious diseases can occur atypically. Therefore, sometimes, even with the most severe damage to the internal organs, the symptoms remain almost invisible. This is especially true in premature babies. Therefore, before staging SIDS, the pathologist must make sure that the death was not due to meningitis, pneumonia, or other similar diseases.

Diagnosis of pathology

To diagnose the disease, doctors usually use special equipment that helps to monitor the condition of the child. These are various cardiorespiratory monitors that detect heart rhythm failure; breathing monitors; respiratory monitors (they can even be installed at home under the bottom of the baby's crib). Also, the newborn needs to undergo an x-ray, an echoencephalogram and an electrocardiogram.

Differential Diagnosis

Differential diagnosis helps specialists exclude acute heart failure, kidney pathology, botulism and forced asphyxia. If the results of the autopsy do not reveal grounds for the sudden death of the child, SIDS is diagnosed.

Treatment of the syndrome

Unfortunately, the therapy of this syndrome still causes difficulties for doctors. Therefore, first of all, experts start from the main cause of the pathology. The main thing in the treatment of the syndrome is to have time to help the baby in time.

What to do if the newborn becomes ill?

If parents notice that their baby is behaving differently - his breathing is disturbed or his pulse is lost, it is necessary to immediately call the doctors. But there is no time to lose, since every minute is precious, so adults should try to restore the functioning of the cardiac and respiratory systems on their own. To do this, you need to give the child a massage:

Run your fingers along the spine several times;
Lightly shake the baby in your arms;
Perform a relaxing massage of the hands, feet and earlobes.

These simple steps can save a child's life. But if they did not bring a positive result, it is necessary to proceed to an indirect massage of the heart and the entire chest. Movements should be smooth and light, as the bones of the newborn are still quite fragile. The main thing when providing assistance is to discard panic and think only about a good outcome.

How to prevent the occurrence of a dangerous disease?

First of all, you should create a really safe and comfortable place for the baby to sleep. Various studies by doctors over the years have proven that a newborn who sleeps on his stomach is in great danger every day. Babies should not be put to bed immediately after a tantrum or crying. More recently, it has become known that sleeping on your side can also provoke SIDS. Sleeping on your back is considered truly healthy. In this case, only underdevelopment of the jaws or a pronounced reflux of bile into the esophagus can be attributed to contraindications. It is difficult for such babies to burp, so while sleeping on their backs, there is a risk of vomit entering the respiratory tract.

Breath monitoring

To reduce the number of deaths from a dangerous syndrome, scientists have created special respiratory monitoring devices that can be used even at home. They not only fully control the child's breathing, but also measure the pulse, as well as the amount of oxygen in the tissues. Such devices are similar to a baby monitor, which plays a certain sound signal in case of heart rhythm disturbances or long-term delays in breathing. Such observation is recommended for families whose children are at risk:

Premature infants with low weight;
Toddlers with recurring sleep apnea;
Newborns with disorders of the respiratory or cardiac system;
Children who have had a loss of consciousness.

Prevention

In most cases, it is not possible to avoid the sudden death of a baby, but it is real to reduce the risk of developing pathology. To do this, you need to be registered with a pediatrician, inform the doctor about all the current diseases of the child. You must also follow these tips:

Avoid overheating. The optimal temperature for newborns is 18-20 degrees, so you should not put your baby to sleep in a room where the temperature exceeds this value. At night, it is better to dress the baby in cotton clothes and cover with a thin blanket.
Remove all soft objects from the crib, including pillows and toys. Such measures will help protect the baby from possible suffocation. It is worth abandoning the sides, as they only collect dust and impair air circulation. And instead of a blanket, you can use a special sleeping bag for babies.
Put the baby to sleep strictly on his back. It has been proven that such a recommendation reduces the risk of the syndrome.

Before going to bed, the baby should be allowed to burp air if the feeding was just recently. Usually for this child is held as a "soldier", pressed to him in an upright position.
It is worth refusing to share the baby’s sleep with the parents, and if such a need nevertheless arises, then the child should be provided with enough free space to sleep. At the same time, adults should be absolutely sober and not overly tired.
It is not recommended to refuse nipples before going to bed. But it is better to start using them from the second month of life so that breastfeeding is not disturbed.

Young parents should not be afraid of SIDS. It is in their power to do everything so that the child is born and grows up a healthy and happy person. The main thing is to lead a healthy lifestyle and not leave the baby alone.

Vaccinations and SIDS

There is an opinion that vaccinations and vaccinations against many diseases significantly undermine the health of the child and lead to various disorders, including sudden infant death syndrome. Indeed, the time of vaccination very often coincides with the peak frequency of sudden death of a newborn. But numerous studies have proven that in most cases these are just coincidences. Moreover, the absence of some vaccinations, for example, against whooping cough, can only increase the risk of a dangerous pathology.

Help for parents who have lost a child

The death of a loved one is a blow to anyone. And when it comes to the death of your own child, it becomes especially difficult to survive the tragic event. In this case, you need to understand only one thing: SIDS cannot be felt and foreseen, which means that the parents are not to blame for the death of the baby. You need to learn to live again, seek help from a psychologist. Almost all families in the future manage to give birth and raise a healthy baby, and sometimes more than one. The main thing is to believe that the best is yet to come.

conclusions

In conclusion, it should be said that the sudden and unexpected death of a newborn is extremely rare and it is almost impossible to predict the development of the syndrome. It is only necessary to draw the attention of parents to the age until which the disease poses a great danger to the life of their child. It is during this period that adults should be especially attentive to the baby. They also need to walk and play with the baby as often as possible, give up bad habits and monitor the condition of the baby’s sleeping place: remove all soft objects from his crib and replace the heavy blanket with a special light sleeping bag. In this case, the risk of sudden infant death syndrome is drastically reduced, which means that motherhood will really only bring joy.

Video: about sudden infant death syndrome and its prevention

What could be worse than the death of a child in the cradle? This is what people call Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Another name for it is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The English abbreviation is SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome. SIDS is his sudden death from respiratory arrest (apnea). Most often this happens at night or early in the morning when the baby is alone in the crib.

An autopsy failed to determine the cause of death. Scientists around the world have been struggling with the mystery of infant mortality for many years - the term SIDS was introduced back in 1969. Today we will talk about what they managed to find out.

Facts about sudden infant death

The collection of statistics on SIDS is quite difficult. However, available evidence suggests that SIDS accounts for between 3 and 10 infant deaths per 1,000 children in various countries. In Russia, according to official statistics, 11 children out of 1,000 do not live to be one year old. However, the exact number of deaths due to SIDS is not known.

Sudden death of an infant is said to occur if it occurs for no apparent reason between the ages of one week and one year. Death in the first week of a child's life occurs from perinatal causes.

Most often, children aged 2-4 months die from sudden infant death. Presumably, this may be due to the fact that at this age the child can already turn on his stomach on his own, but cannot roll back or turn his head to the side if he begins to choke. Babies younger than 2 months are not able to roll over on their own, children older than 4 months have a more pronounced instinct for self-preservation.

Boys are more susceptible to sudden death of a child than girls - about 1.5 times. The reasons for this are not exactly known - perhaps such statistics are associated with lower immunity in newborn boys.

Children with reduced immunity are more likely than others to die suddenly. This is just understandable: immunity directly affects the heart activity and breathing of the child. That is why premature babies, children from multiple pregnancies and, of course, children of mothers with bad habits fall into the risk group.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is directly related to the sleeping position: about 70% of deaths occur while sleeping on the stomach. Overheating and hypothermia are also big risk factors for babies, with overheating being much more dangerous.

What's New in Sudden Child Death Research

There are two lines of research that may shed light on the causes of SIDS. The first is the study of insufficient production of serotonin, known as the hormone of happiness. In the body of the dead babies, the level of serotonin was critically low. Meanwhile, this hormone is involved in many physiological processes, including cardio-respiratory activity. The theory speaks of a lack of serotonin as a factor that destabilizes breathing and heart rhythms.

In September 2012, the results of another study of sudden infant death syndrome were published: the absence of the Atoh1 gene does not allow the body to automatically regulate breathing and respond to an increase in carbon dioxide levels in the blood. The experiment was carried out on a population of mice.

What should parents do if the child is not breathing?

Since many parents have heard about death in the cradle, it is not surprising that this topic is actively discussed among young mothers. It is much more important to discuss rumors to know the algorithm of actions to be taken if you find that the child is not breathing. This could save his life! The sudden death of a child is diagnosed by doctors, but often the failure in breathing can be restored.

So, what should parents do while immediately calling an ambulance:

Check the child's breathing (mouth and nose), movements of his chest;
Quickly assess the color of the skin and mucous membranes - when breathing stops, they turn pale or turn blue;
Try to stir up the baby by massaging his hands, heels, earlobes. Very often this is enough to restore breathing;
If the measures taken do not help, you need to make sure that there are no foreign objects in the baby’s throat and immediately begin to give him artificial respiration - until the doctors arrive.

Prevention of SIDS

Unfortunately, there is no way to identify a child's tendency to sudden death. Therefore, the most important prevention of respiratory arrest. First of all, this applies to sleeping on the stomach, which many pediatricians oppose. The line is thin - after all, in many other respects, sleeping on the stomach, on the contrary, is useful. You can choose a compromise solution - for example, lay the baby on its side, placing a latch that prevents it from rolling over on its tummy in sleep.

In no case should it be hot in the room where the child sleeps - on the contrary, the room should be ventilated before going to bed. If the air is too dry, it is worth using a humidifier to achieve optimal humidity.

Some researchers of the sudden death of an infant point to a direct connection between the syndrome and the joint sleep of the child and parents. However, there is no clear relationship here - in a number of countries where co-sleeping is considered the norm, the SIDS statistics are just lower, while in other countries it is the other way around. Most likely, the more important factor here will be the caution of the parents. 4.9 out of 5 (27 votes)

A tragic phenomenon in medicine, a mystery without an answer - this is often called the syndrome of sudden infant death. Indeed, such a phenomenon, extremely mysterious and inexplicable, began to manifest itself more and more often. In essence, this is the death of a child under the age of 1 year without any signs of illness and abnormalities at the autopsy. The baby simply dies for no apparent reason, unexpectedly and quietly. What is such a syndrome, why it can develop and how to deal with it - in the material AiF.ru.

Risk group

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is not clearly defined. The death of a child is often described as unexplained. At the same time, both on the body of the crumbs and in the house, there are no direct or indirect factors that could serve as a catalyst - neither infections, nor bacteria, nor genetic abnormalities, nor other pathological problems. Doctors still cannot explain why such a problem develops. However, a number of studies on this topic have led to some conclusions. So, for example, according to statistics, most often SIDS occurs in children under the age of 8 months, with the largest number of cases recorded at the age of 2-4 months. Of the total number of dead children, 60% are boys. As for time, the death of babies is celebrated at night - from midnight to 6 in the morning.

We study the reasons

There are no main and clear reasons for the development of SIDS. However, some doctors suspect that the imperfect work of the brain becomes a catalyst, when literally second failures occur in it, which can quickly unbalance the body of the crumbs. Others are sure that the leading role in the development of such a pathology belongs to heart rhythm failures - children who have a prolonged QT interval on the ECG are susceptible to it. In addition, there is a theory according to which SIDS develops due to the fact that the position of a sleeping child on the stomach with the head turned to the side causes compression of the spinal artery, which causes hypoxia and apnea.

Today, doctors single out only concomitant factors that can provoke an appropriate reaction. Among them:

Sleeping on your stomach (this factor is often called the main one)
Overwrapping
Using an overly soft mattress and pillows
The presence of causeless respiratory arrests, incl. if such a situation was noted among the brothers and sisters of the child
The mother's age is up to 20 years, when she is single and was not registered with a doctor
Maternal illness during pregnancy
Small gap between pregnancies (less than a year)
Complicated childbirth
prematurity
Artificial feeding
Sleeping in different rooms with parents

Also, these children often had sleep apnea. At the same time, it should be understood that in an absolutely healthy baby, short pauses of 12-15 seconds can occur in the first year, and this is a variant of the norm. If such pauses in breathing take 20 seconds or more and are accompanied by pallor of the skin, lethargy, decreased muscle tone, then they speak of a full-fledged and life-threatening sleep apnea.

Why morning?

Most often, infantile sudden death occurs early in the morning. And this is quite understandable, because. in any person - be it an adult or a baby - a section of the nervous system, which is called parasympathetic, is activated at night - it is responsible for lowering the frequency of breathing and heart rate. Also in the morning, the level of glucocorticoids in the blood decreases, which also causes a decrease in the reserve capacity of the body.

If parents have time to notice the crumbs stop breathing in a dream, the situation can be corrected. First of all, the respiratory center should be stimulated. It is necessary to take the child in your arms and stir him up - you should not be afraid to wake him up in such a situation, the main thing here is to save his life. After the breath has appeared, it is worth gently massaging the arms, legs, feet and earlobes. It is also advised to vigorously run your finger along the spine.

If the baby does not wake up, and breathing is not restored, it is necessary to begin the resuscitation procedure and call for emergency help.

Prevention rules

The main danger of sudden infant death syndrome is precisely in its suddenness - it is impossible to predict it. At the same time, doctors have identified those measures that can act as preventive measures. So, for example, you should ensure that the baby sleep on his back - today there are many devices for this that securely fix the baby and prevent it from rolling over. You will also have to exclude soft bedding sets. An excellent solution would be a hard mattress and a sleeping bag - it will perform the function of a blanket, while not covering the child completely. There should not be any soft toys in the bed either. Despite the fact that one of the risk factors is separate sleep with parents, it is still not worth making a choice in favor of joint sleep. Ideally, if the baby will sleep in his own crib or cradle next to the parent's bed.

It is necessary to properly dress the baby before going to bed - do not choose too warm clothes, and the temperature in the room should not be higher than 20 degrees. If there was feeding before going to bed, you must definitely wait for the baby to burp.

Particular attention should be paid to the child in the following situations:

Having a high temperature, especially during sleep
Refusal to eat
Decreased motor activity
Presence of a respiratory infection
Sleep crumbs after a long tantrum and crying
Sleep in new environments (for example, at a party)

It is worth being fully prepared and carefully monitoring your baby, then there is an opportunity to prevent the development of ADHS and save the baby's life.

Description:

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or "death in the crib", in foreign medicine - SIDS) - the unexpected causeless death of a child aged from a week to a year. The origin of the syndrome is not fully understood, but most doctors consider it the result of apnea (stopping breathing) and heart rhythm disturbances. Boys (about 60%) under the age of seven months are most susceptible to SIDS (the “peak” falls on 2-4 months). Most often, sudden death occurs at night or in the morning, during the cold season.
According to statistics, the rate of SIDS in developed countries ranges from 0.2 to 1.5 cases per 1000 newborns (for example, in 1999: in Germany - 0.78, in the USA - 0.77, in Russia (data for St. Petersburg) - 0.43, in Sweden - 0.45). After an information campaign to reduce the risk of SIDS in England and Sweden, rates fell by 70% and 33%, respectively.
According to the World Health Organization, SIDS is one of the three main causes of death in children in the first year of life (along with congenital anomalies and perinatal conditions) - it accounts for up to 30% in the structure of infant mortality in different countries.

Symptoms:

Doctors talk about sudden infant death syndrome only after a thorough investigation of all the circumstances of the child's death, during which any possible pathologies are consistently excluded. When neither a post-mortem examination nor a thorough analysis of the child's developmental history can explain the reasons for his sudden death, the diagnosis of SIDS is made. Special statistical studies of all circumstances accompanying SIDS are carried out, risk factors are identified.

Causes of occurrence:

According to statistics, among the main risk factors are: overheating and poor ventilation of the room, smoking in the child's room, excessively tight swaddling, sleeping on the stomach, too soft pillow and mattress. According to some pediatricians, the reason for the increase in the number of cases of SIDS - in the position "on the tummy" - actually lies precisely in the soft pillow or mattress. They simply "pinch" the child's nose, blocking his breathing. Therefore, the crib should have a hard, smooth mattress, and it is better to refuse a pillow altogether. But, anyway, the statistics unequivocally indicate that sleeping on the stomach significantly increases the risk of SIDS: in countries where traditionally, or as a result of an information campaign, children are put to sleep on their backs, the lowest percentage of cases of sudden death of babies is recorded.
Risk factors also include: prematurity and low birth weight; young age of the mother (up to 17 years); complicated, prolonged or; abortions; multiple births, especially with small time intervals.
Experts believe that most often this is the result of the immaturity of the infant's neurohumoral system. During this period, children often have apnea - temporary breath holding; and if they are recorded more often than once an hour and last longer than 10-15 seconds, it is worth informing the pediatrician without delay.

Another version of SIDS is a violation of the infant's cardiac activity: various kinds, up to and including short-term; they can occur even in healthy children. In any such case, it is also necessary to immediately consult a pediatrician.

There is an increase in the number of sudden deaths of infants in the autumn-winter period. Perhaps this is due to an increase in the number of respiratory viral infections, or with a decrease in immunity and the need for increased stress on the adaptive reserves of the child's body.

According to one hypothesis, the death of an infant may occur as a result of chronic psycho-emotional stress.
Does co-sleeping increase the risk of SIDS?
There is no single opinion on this matter. Some doctors are inclined to believe that co-sleeping can increase the risk of SIDS - if the result is disturbed by a comfortable sleep of the baby. However, most pediatricians consider co-sleeping, on the contrary, a factor in the prevention of SIDS. After all, the child's body is so sensitive that it synchronizes its own breathing and heartbeat with the mother's breathing and heartbeat. In addition, the close proximity of the mother allows her to respond as quickly as possible, for example, to the child's respiratory arrest.

Treatment:

If the baby suddenly stopped breathing, you should energetically move your fingers from bottom to top along the spinal column, take him in your arms, shake him up, massage his hands, feet, earlobes. As a rule, these measures are enough to restore the child's breathing. If this does not happen, it is necessary to urgently call an ambulance, and before the arrival of the doctors, resort to emergency measures: massage the chest, artificial respiration.

You need to know how to provide first aid for suffocation - after all, respiratory arrest can also occur due to foreign objects entering the child's airways.