Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION 4
II. What is SIDS? 4
III. SIDS Procedures 4-5
* SIDS Annual Rate
IV. Risk Factors .......................................... 6
V. Current Research ................................ 6-7
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 8
More children die of SIDS in a year than all children who die of cancer, heart disease, pneumonia, child abuse, AIDS, cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy combined. During the eighties, SIDS accounted for approximately 7,000 deaths, but that number dropped below 3,000 by the late nineties. Unfortunately, this decrease can only be attributed to better overall health techniques and medical practices. As of yet, the main cause of death for infants around the world is still unknown.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as "Crib Death", is defined as the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history. SIDS occurs unexpectedly in infants one month to one year in age who seem healthy at the time. Ninety percent of deaths happen by the end of the sixth month, usually between two and four months, ninety-eight percent die before twelve months of age. A SIDS death occurs quickly with no signs of suffering and is often associated with sleep. More deaths are reported in the fall or winter, and there is a 60 percent to 40 percent male to female ratio. It is only diagnosed after all other alternatives have been eliminated; it is a diagnosis of exclusion. This sudden infant's death leaves many unanswered questions resulting in intense grief for parents', families...
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...p://www.sidsalliance.org/facts/ (1/19/2000)
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a baby ranging from low birth weight and abnormalities to death. There are a few government
Sudden infant death syndrome ( SIDS) is the greatest cause of infant deaths ranging from ages one month to one year. Most of these deaths occur before the age of six months. Normally, any unexplainable infant death is considered to be due to SIDS. Numerous attempts have been made to discover the exact cause of this syndrome. However,the only known pathology is that SIDS is due to a dysfunction or abnormality in the cardiac and/or respiratory systems. To this point, an exact and definite cause has not been named. This paper will attempt to present several of the proposed and hypothesized causes of SIDS.
Hiroeh, Urara, Louis Appleby, Preben Mortensen, and Graham Dunn. "Death by Homicide, Suicide, and Other Unnatural Causes in People." The Lancet 358.9299 (n.d.): 2110-112. Web.
In the United States, approximately 2 million children are living with life threatening conditions and 18,000 new born die within the first 28 days of life due to prematurity/immaturity, infection, and congenital anomalies annually (Thibeau 2012). Globally 450 newborns die every hour (Eden 2010).
Many questions about the causes of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as “crib death,” are still unresolved. The mysterious and elusive nature of SIDS creates problems, doubts, and more questions. This paper will present some of the most commonly asked questions as well as the answers that have been uncovered by scientists after years of research and study.
…The infant had been born with anencephaly, or lack of cranial development. The infant’s skull was an open sore that the nurses packed and layered with gauze to give his face a round appearance. Because of lack of cerebral hemispheres, the infant was incapable of any conscious activity. After his birth, the infant was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit and placed in a bassinet. He was reported to be kicking and breathing, and his ...
Berkowitz, Carol. American Academy of Pediatrics: Dedicated to the Health of all Children. American Academy of Pediatrics. 8 Dec. 2004
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or "crib death" is an abrupt and inexplicable death of an apparently healthy infant. Most of the cases involve infants from ages 1-12 months, and the event occurs during the night. Various theories have been postulated from research results but without consistency of the etiology. Since the death is sudden, prior diagnostic criteria or patterns are not available for correlation, although some near-miss infants have been followed. A number of possibilities have been documented in current literature, to include beta-endorphin changes, abnormal temperature regulation, pineal abnormalities, carotid body irregularities, lead poisoning, elevated fetal hemoglobin, brainstem immaturity, and cerebral hypoperfusion. The following is an overview of these pathologies in their relation to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
McMillan, Julia A., Ralph D. Feigin, Catherine DeAngelis, and M. Douglas Jones. Oski's Pediatrics, Principles & Practice. Williams & Wilkins, 2006.
There are multiple definitions for SIDS, otherwise known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. According to the textbook Essentials of Human Diseases and Conditions by Margaret Frazier and Jeanette Drzymkowski, this disease is defined as “the sudden and unpredicted death of an infant under the age of one year”. Another source, the Ohio Department of Health describes it as “the sudden death of an infant less than one year of age, which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a thorough autopsy, investigation of the death scene and a evaluation of the clinical history”. Although there are numerous explanations as to what this particular disease is, one thing remains a certain constant: the ultimate outcome of this disorder is death.
American academy of Pediatrics (AAP), (1999). US Vital Statistics show Death Rates down, Birth Rates up: http://www.aapaorg/advocacy/archives/decvital.htm
Rachels, Jame. "Active and Passive Euthanasia." New England Journal of Medicine 292 (1975): 78-80. Print.
number of deaths due to SIDS, it accounts for only a small percentage. It is a
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