According to Public Health Francethe sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is defined as “unexplained death of a child under one year of age, apparently occurring during sleep, which remains unexplained after post-mortem investigations including a full autopsy and a full review of the circumstances of death and clinical history“. Every year, in France, around 400 babies (often under 6 months old) suffer sudden infant death syndrome – we also talk about “unexpected infant death syndrome” (MIN). Although its incidence has dropped drastically in recent years, thanks to new recommendations and the identification of risk factors (smoking, excessive heating, sleeping position), the rate is still high and the causes are not always explained. .
Nevertheless, sudden infant death syndrome is a phenomenon increasingly understood by scientists : Thus, we now know that an unsafe sleeping environment is a major risk factor. A new study published on May 6, 2022 in the journal eBioMedicine would have discovered a new cause, which could have an impact on the prevention of these unexplained deaths. Researchers at Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney have reportedly identified a biomarker for sudden infant death syndrome: a lower levels of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzymes was found in the blood of 60 infant deaths compared to healthy infants or other infant deaths.
This discovery could revolutionize prevention if it were to be confirmed and a screening test could then be developed in order to eliminate the risk as soon as possible. “This discovery has opened up the possibility of intervention and finally gives answers to parents who have lost their children so tragically. These families can now live knowing it wasn’t their fault“, said Dr. Carmel Therese Harrington, principal investigator of the study, who herself lost a child to sudden infant death syndrome.
Pillows, cushions, blankets, bumpers… Not before the age of 18 months!
It is not the first time that recommendations have been published to combat the deaths. A study published in 2021 by theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics had already been interested in the causes of sudden infant death syndrome. The American researchers then studied 12,000 cases of SIDS that occurred in the United States between 2011 and 2017: first, they found that 31% of deaths resulted from choking (or “probable choking“) of the child. Second, the “unsafe sleeping environments“were involved in approximately 72% of cases.
What is an “unsafe sleeping environment” for a baby? Scientists point the finger in particular at “soft bedding”, implicated in around 75% of cases of suffocation. As a reminder, during the first months of life, babies need a fairly firm mattress (density between 21 and 23 kg/m3 for a synthetic foam mattress) to prevent SIDS.
In addition, American researchers point out that stuffed animals, pillows, cushions, blankets, bumpers… are to be avoided before the age of 18-20 months on average – ask your pediatrician for advice! Finally, as the National Academy of Medicine reminds us, the baby must absolutely be lying on his back.
Sources:
- Butyrylcholinesterase is a potntial biomarker for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, eBioMedicineMay 6, 2022
- Three out of four Sudden Unexpected Infant Death happen in unsafe sleep environments, American Academy of PediatricsApril 2021
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- Perinatal mourning: “with the death of a baby, we must mourn the future”
- Pregnancy: smoking would double the risk of sudden infant death syndrome
- Sudden infant death syndrome: watch out for swaddling