Medical, Forensic and Social Quandaries of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Today
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/11.3Sup1/118Keywords:
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, risk factors, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, autopsyAbstract
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is described as the sudden, unexplained death (with no attributable cause, during sleep) of a seemingly healthy child before reaching the first year of life. Statistically, SIDS is recognized today as a leading cause of death in infants aged 1 to 12 months. In the present article the authors have analyzed known risk factors, classifications and current standards of forensic investigation while highlighting the necessity of detailed clinical history, autopsy, scene of death examination and lab findings (radiology, metabolic anomalies, infectious diseases and toxicology) in SIDS diagnosis. For an infant death to be considered SIDS, all other possible causes of death must be first excluded, the diagnosis requiring detailed collection and analysis of antemortem patient data and a complete autopsy. Although the forensic methods of today are more exact, the distinction between SIDS and other causes of death (e.g. unintentional asphyxiation, infanticide) remains very difficult in some cases.
References
American Academy of Pediatrics (2005). The Changing Concept of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Diagnostic Coding Shifts, Controversies Regarding the Sleeping Environment, and New Variables to Consider in Reducing Risk; Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Pediatrics, 116(5), 1245-1255. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2005-1499
Arane, K., Claudius, I., & Goldman, R. D. (2017). Brief resolved unexplained event: New diagnosis in infants. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 63(1), 39–41.
Bajanowski T, Vege, A., Byard, R.W., Krous, H. F., Arnestad, M., Bachs, L., Banner, J., Blair, P. S., Borthne, A., Dettmeyer, R., Fleming, P., Gaustad, P., Gregersen, M., Grøgaard, J., Holter, E., Isaksen, C. V., Jorgensen, J. V., De Lange, C., Madea, B., Moore, I., Morland, J., Opdal, S. H., Råsten-Almqvist, P., Schlaud, M., Sidebotham, P., Skullerud, K., Stoltenburg-Didinger, G., Stray-Pedersen, A., Sveum, L., & Rognum, T. O. (2007). Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) – Standardized investigations and classification: recommendations. Forensic Science International, 165, 129-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2006.05.028
De Faria Oliveira, A. M., De Andrade, P. R., Pinheiro, E. M., Avelar, A. F., M., Costa, P., & Belela-Anacleto, A. S. C., (2020). Risk and protective factors for sudden infant death syndrome. Revista Brasileira De Enfermagem, 73(2), e20190458. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2019-0458
De Visme, S., Chalumeau, M., Levieux, K., Patural, H., Harrewijn, I., Briand-Huchet, E., Rey, G., Morgand, C., Blondel, B., & Gras-Le, G. C. (2020). National Variations in Recent Trends of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Rate in Western Europe. Journal of Pediatrics, 226, 179-185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.06.052
Farrell, P. A., Weiner, G. M., Lemons, J. A. (2002). SIDS, ALTE, Apnea, and the Use of Home Monitors of Pediatrics. Pediatrics in Review 23(1), 3-9. https://doi.org/10.1542/pir.23-1-3
Ferrante, L., Opdal, S. H., & Nygaard, V. (2020). No association to sudden infant death syndrome detected by targeted amplicon sequencing of 24 genes. Acta Paediatrica, 109(12), 2636-2640. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.15295
Goian, C., & Breaz M. A. (2020). Children's opinion on conditions in day care centers. Revista Universitară de Sociologie, XVI(1), 71-82. http://www.sociologiecraiova.ro/revista/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/00.-FULL-VERSION-71-82.pdf
Goldwater, P. N., Kelmanson, I. A., & Little, B. B. (2020). Increased thymus weight in sudden infant death syndrome compared to controls: The role of sub-clinical infections. American Journal of Human Biology, 145(1), e23528, https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23528
Hashiyada, M., Obayashi, M., Matsumoto, T., Yoshimura, S., & Akane, A. (2019). Epigenome-wide association study for sudden unexpected infant death. Forensic Science International Genetics Supplement Series, 7(1), 818-819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigss.2019.10.188
Jorch, G., Jorch, G., Tapiainen, T., Bonhoeffer, J., Fischer, T. K., Heininger, U., Hoet, B., Kohl, K. S., Lewis, E. M., Meyer, C., Nelson, T., Sandbu, S., Schlaud, M., Schwartz, A., Varricchio, F., & Wise, R. P. (2007). Unexplained sudden death, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), in the first and second years of life. Vaccine, 25(31), 5707-5716. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2007.02.068
Kiechl-Kohlendorfer, U., Hof, D., Peglow, U. P., Traweger-Ravanelli, B., & Kiechl, S. (2005). Epidemiology of apparent life threatening events. Archives of disease in childhood, 90(3), 297–300. https://doi.org/10.1136/adc.2004.049452
Kingsmore, S. F., Henderson, A., Owen, M. J., Clark, M. M., Hansen, C., Dimmock, D., Chambers, C. D., Jeliffe-Pawlowski, L. L., & Hobbs, C. (2020). Measurement of genetic diseases as a cause of mortality in infants receiving whole genome sequencing. NPJ GENOMIC MEDICINE, 5, 49. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41525-020-00155-8
Koeffer, J., Scheiper-Welling, S., Verhoff, M. A., Bajanowski, T., & Kauferstein, S., (2020). Post-mortem genetic investigation of cardiac disease-associated genes in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) cases. International Journal Of Legal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-020-02394-x
Kon, F. C., Vazquez, R. Z., Lang A., & Cohen M. C. (2020). Hippocampal abnormalities and seizures: a 16-year single center review of sudden unexpected death in childhood, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy and SIDS. Forensic Science Medicine And Pathology, 16(3), 423-434. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-020-00268-7
Krous, H. F., Beckwith, J. B., Byard, R. W., Rognum, T. O., Bajanowski, T., Corey, T., Cutz, E., Hanzlick, R., Keens, T. G., & Mitchell, E. A. (2004). Sudden infant death syndrome and unclassified sudden infant deaths: a definitional and diagnostic approach. Pediatrics, 114(1), 234-238. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.114.1.234
Krous, H. F., Haas, E. A., Masoumi, H., Chadwick, A. E., & Stanley, C. (2007). A comparison of pulmonary intra-alveolar hemorrhage in cases of sudden infant death due to SIDS in a safe sleep environment or to suffocation. Forensic Science International, 172(1), 56-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2006.12.005
Lavezzi, A. M., Mehboob, R., Alfonsi, G., & Ferrero, S. (2020). Substantia Nigra Abnormalities Provide New Insight on the Neural Mechanisms Underlying the Sleep-Arousal Phase Dysfunctions in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. American Society for Neurochemistry, 0, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1759091420962695
Lavista Ferres, J. M., Anderson, T. M., Johnston, R., Ramirez J-M., Mitchell, E. A. (2020). Distinct Populations of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Based on Age. Pediatrics, 145(1), e20191637. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-1637
Luijerink, L. L. M., Vivekanandarajah, A., Waters, K. A., & Machaalani, R. (2020). The alpha 7 and beta 2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits regulate apoptosis in the infant hippocampus, and in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). APOPTOSIS, 25(7-8), 574-589. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10495-020-01618-0
Lupu, V. V., Ignat, A., Stoleriu, G., Ciubara, A. B., Ciubara, A., Lupu, V., Burlea, M., & Stratciuc, S. (2017). Vaccination of Children in Romania between Civic Obligation and Personal Choice. Revista De Cercetare Si Interventie Sociala, 56, 123-132. https://www.rcis.ro/images/documente/rcis56_10.pdf
Mahat-Shamir, M. (2020). Neither here nor there and a little bit of both: The ambiguous loss experience of parents who lost a baby to sudden infant death syndrome. Death Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2020.1802629
McGovern, M. C., & Smith, M. B. H. (2004). Causes of apparent life-threatening events in infants: a systematic review. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 89(11), 1043–1048. https://doi.org/10.1136/adc.2003.031740
Merino, A. M., Oliva-Navarro, J., Naranjo-Castresana, M., Aguilar, A-P. M. J., Herraez-Sanchez, E., Pastor-Romero, B., Sanchez-Tornero, M., Martinez-Bermejo, A. (2020). Could polysomnography identify potential SIDS/BRUE victims? Subtle changes in arousability during sleep in healthy infants (SIDS: Sudden infant death syndrome, BRUE: Brief Resolved Unexplained Event). Journal Of Sleep Research, 29 (supplement 1), 113. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13181
Müller-Nordhorn, J., Schneider, A., Grittner, U., Neumann, K., Keil, T., Willich, S. N., & Binting, S. (2020). International time trends in sudden unexpected infant death, 1969–2012. BMC Pediatr, 20, 377. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-020-02271-x
Osawa, M., Ueno, Y., Ikeda, N., Ikematsu, K., Yamamoto, T., Irie, W., Kozawa, S., Kotani, H., Hamayasu, H., Murase, T. Shingu, K., Sugimoto, M., Nagao, R., & Kakimoto, Y. (2020). Circumstances and factors of sleep-related sudden infancy deaths in Japan. PLOS ONE, 15(8), e0233253. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233253
Rini, S., Dhruv, G., & Deepak, K. (2016). Apparent Life-Threatening Events: An Overview. Clinical Pediatrics, 55(1), 5–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/0009922815591890
Ruiz-Botia, I., Cassanello-Peñarroya, P., Díez-Izquierdo, A., Martínez-Sánchez, J. M., & Balaguer-Santamaria, A. (2020). Sudden infant death syndrome: Do the parents follow the recommendations? Anales De Pediatria, 92(4), 222-228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anpede.2019.06.009
Sanchez, T., Peirano, D., Pipino, C., & Brockmann, P. E. (2020). Bad sleeping habits in infants: risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome. Pilot study. Revista Chilena De Pediatria-Chile, 91(4), 529-535. https://doi.org/10.32641/rchped.vi91i4.1400
Sandu, A. (2020). Bioethics – Philosophy or science?. Logos Universality Mentality Education Novelty: Philosophy & Humanistic Sciences, 8(1), 44-60. https://doi.org/10.18662/lumenphs/8.1/35
Shipstone, R. A., Young, J., Kearney, L., & Thompson, J. M. D. (2020). Prevalence of risk factors for sudden infant death among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Australia. Acta Paediatrica, 109(12), 2614-2626. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.15274
Shipstone, R. A., Young, J., Thompson, J. M. D., & Byard, R. W. (2020). An evaluation of pathologists' application of the diagnostic criteria from the San Diego definition of SIDS and unclassified sudden infant death. International Journal Of Legal Medicine, 134(3), 1015-1021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-019-02126-w
Sontag, J. M., Singh, B., Ostfeld, B. M., Hegyi, T., Steinberg, M. B., & Delnevo, C. D., (2020). Obstetricians' and Gynecologists' Communication Practices around Smoking Cessation in Pregnancy, Secondhand Smoke and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS): A Survey. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, 17(8), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082908
Tieder, J. S., Bonkowsky, J. L., Etzel, R. A., Franklin, W. H., Gremse, D. A., Herman, B., Katz, E. S., Krilov, L. R., Merritt II, J. L., Norlin, C., Percelay, J., Sapien, R. E., Shiffman, R. N., & Smith, M. B. H. (2016). Brief Resolved Unexplained Events (Formerly Apparent Life-Threatening Events) and Evaluation of Lower-Risk Infants. Pediatrics, 137(5), e2 0160590. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-0591
Vennemann, M. M. T., Hoffgen, M., & Bajanowski, T., & Mitchell, E. A. (2007). Doimmunizations reduce the risk for SIDS? A meta-analysis. Vaccine, 25, 4875-4879. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2007.02.077
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 The Authors & LUMEN Publishing House
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant this journal right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work, with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g. in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as an earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience Journal has an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs
CC BY-NC-ND
