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Contemporary risk factors for sudden infant death in an Irish population--a case control study
1Department of Paediatrics, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin.
Insights
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (S.I.D.S.) in Irish infants is linked to lower birth weight and male gender. S.I.D.S. infants were more often breast-fed and slept separately from parents.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (S.I.D.S.) remains a significant concern in infant mortality.
- Identifying modifiable risk factors is crucial for S.I.D.S. prevention strategies.
- Previous research has explored various S.I.D.S. risk factors, but regional variations and specific infant characteristics warrant further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate recently implicated risk factors for S.I.D.S. in Irish infants.
- To compare characteristics of S.I.D.S. infants with a control group of non-S.I.D.S. infants.
- To explore potential associations between infant health symptoms, feeding practices, sleep environment, and S.I.D.S.
Main Methods:
- A case-controlled study design was employed.
- Data were collected on birth weight, gender, feeding methods, sleep location, infant health symptoms, and medication use.
- Infant body temperature at discovery was also recorded for S.I.D.S. cases.
Main Results:
- S.I.D.S. infants had a lower average birth weight (3463g vs. 3542g) and a higher male-to-female ratio (1.3:1).
- Breast-feeding (42% vs. 25%) and sleeping in a separate room (54% vs. 21%) were more common in S.I.D.S. cases.
- A significant proportion of infants, including controls, experienced symptoms like snuffles and chestiness, often treated with antibiotics.
Conclusions:
- Lower birth weight and male gender are associated with S.I.D.S. in Irish infants.
- Breast-feeding and sleeping outside the parents' room may be relevant factors.
- The prevalence of common infant respiratory symptoms and antibiotic use highlights the need for careful assessment in S.I.D.S. investigations.
Abstract:
This case-controlled study examines some recently implicated risk factors for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (S.I.D.S.) in Irish infants. Irish S.I.D.S. infants are lighter at birth than controls (3463g) compared to (3542g) and boys out-number girls by a ratio of 1.3:1. S.I.D.S. infants are more frequently: breast-fed (42% vs 25%) and sleep in a location other than the parent's bedroom (54% vs 21%), but start solids at a similar age and appear not to be sicker prior to death than the control group. This study highlights the frequency of symptoms of possible ill-health (i.e. snuffles and being "chesty") in well infants during the first months of life with 32% of the control group having snuffles and 35% described as "chesty". In addition these symptoms are frequently treated with antibiotics with 31% of the control group having already received antibiotics by 2 months of age. A majority of S.I.D.S. infants were described as cold when found (52%) with 39% described as warm and 15% as sweaty. Obviously the recently implicated role of overheating may be relevant in the latter 15% of S.I.D.S. cases. In this series, 88% of infants had died by 6 months of age. Of the 97 parents of S.I.D.S. infants questioned, 78 had subsequently become pregnant by the time the study was conducted at an average time of 5 months post the S.I.D.S. event.