Infant That Is Under One-Year-Old

¶ … infant that is under one-year-old dies without warning and there is no explanation that can be found, it is generally attributed to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). When this happens, the medical history is examined, a review of any illnesses that might have been present is taken, an autopsy is performed, the death scene is examined, and there is a complete investigation.

However, if despite all of this no cause for the death can be found, then SIDS is the term that is given to the reason that the infant died. SIDS is often also called 'crib death' because many babies are sleeping in their cribs at the time that they die. There are several risk factors that are important when it comes to considering SIDS in any investigation.

These include allowing the baby to sleep on its stomach, passive smoking by anyone in the household, smoking by the mother during pregnancy, mothers less than 20 years old during their first pregnancy, premature babies, babies with a very low birth weight, and no or late prenatal care. Between one month and one year of age, SIDS is the leading cause of death for babies. Generally, however, between one and four months is the main time for SIDS to strike.

Caucasian babies are less likely to die from SIDS, and African-American babies are nearly three times more likely to die from it. Native American babies are also approximately three times more likely than Caucasian babies to die from SIDS. More boys than girls fall victim to SIDS, but there is no specific reason why this seems to be the case (www.nichd.nih.gov,1997). As for what actually causes SIDS, there are several different thoughts on the issue.

There is currently some evidence that indicates that SIDS babies might have an abnormality in their brains that make them much more vulnerable to dying suddenly at a very young age. These abnormalities are seen in autopsy studies of many SIDS babies to be in the area of the brain known as the "arcuate nucleus." This part of the brain is generally responsible for controlling waking and breathing during sleep cycles.

Babies that have other abnormalities and defects within their body when they are born may also be more prone to dying from SIDS. Some of these other abnormalities could come from various factors such as the lack of some vital compound or the exposure to a toxic substance when they are still in the fetal environment. For example, when mothers smoke during pregnancy they not only put toxins in their own bodies, but into the bodies of their babies as well.

In addition to these toxins, the maternal smoking often deprives the babies of the oxygen that it needs, and this can result in abnormalities that can lead to SIDS. Metabolic disorders are also a consideration for babies that die of SIDS, although this has not been proven (www.nichd.nih.gov,1997). As for treatment or prevention, there is little that can be said. Naturally, there is no treatment for SIDS, since by definition it results in the death of the infant.

Prevention is also not something that can be accomplished, since there is no definite way to prevent SIDS. However, there are ways to reduce the risk, such as making sure that the baby sleeps only on its back and not on its stomach, keeping the baby's environment smoke free, and making sure that the baby does not get overheated. Unfortunately, there is little else that can be done for SIDS when it comes to avoidance. Despite this, the number of SIDS deaths have been declining.

Beginning in the mid-1990s, the rates really began to drop. In 2001, only 2.236 infants died from SIDS, compared to almost 6,000.