Do immunisations reduce the risk for SIDS? A meta-analysis
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026

The Adjuvant Efficacy of Angong Niuhuang Pill in the Treatment of Viral Encephalitis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Published on: April 19, 2024
M M T Vennemann1, M Höffgen, T Bajanowski
1Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Münster, Roentgenstrasse 23, 48129 Münster, Germany. Mechtild.Vennemann@ukmuenster.de
Background:
There are claims that immunisations cause sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), but some studies have found either no association or that they are associated with a reduced risk of SIDS.
Aims:
To conduct a meta-analysis examining the relationship between immunisation and SIDS.
Methods:
Nine case-controls studies were identified examining this association, of which four adjusted for potential confounders.
Results:
The summary odds ratio (OR) in the univariate analysis suggested that immunisations were protective, but the presence of heterogeneity makes it difficult to combine these studies. The summary OR for the studies reporting multivariate ORs was 0.54 (95% CI=0.39-0.76) with no evidence of heterogeneity.
Conclusions:
Immunisations are associated with a halving of the risk of SIDS. There are biological reasons why this association may be causal, but other factors, such as the healthy vaccinee effect, may be important. Immunisations should be part of the SIDS prevention campaigns.
Related Concept Videos
Vaccinations
Bias in Epidemiological Studies
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease
Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...
Relative Risk
Teratogenicity