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Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

            Sudden Infant Death Syndrome also known as SIDS was defined in 1969 as the sudden death of an infant under the age of one, which after thorough investigation fails to present a cause of death. It is only determined to be SIDS after an investigation of the scene of death is done, a clinical history and an autopsy. SIDS is a death of exclusion because researchers are unclear about the causes. Researchers now believe that infants who die of SIDS are born with one or more conditions that make them vulnerable to both internal and external stresses that occur in the normal life of an infant. It most often occurs quickly in the night to seemingly healthy infants between the ages of two to four months and during the fall and winter months. SIDS occurs more often in boys than girls, with a sixty to forty percent ratio. African American and American Indian infants are two to three times more likely to die from SIDS than other children however government agencies are making efforts to reach these populations with information about SIDS. .
             Between 1983 and 1992 the average number of SIDS deaths reported was five to six thousand a year. Since the mid 1990's those averages have dropped considerably. In 1992 The American Academy of Pediatrics announced that infants should sleep on their backs to reduce the risk of SIDS. Beginning that year the number of SIDS related deaths began to decline. In 1994 the "Back to Sleep" campaign began. The campaign stated that the safest way for an infant to sleep was to lay him or her on their backs, research showed that side and stomach sleeping babies were more likely to die from SIDS than babies that slept on their backs. In the year 2000 only 2,523 infants died from SIDS, half of what they have been in recent years, however it is still the leading cause of deaths in infants under one year of age. Although SIDS occurs in every race a higher percent occurs in African American and American Indian infants and the lowest percent in Hispanics and Asians.


Essays Related to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

1. SIDS

The Risk Factors of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, aside from accidents, is the leading cause of infant deaths per year. This medical mystery is responsible for ten percent of infant deaths annually and still cannot be fully explained (http://reference.allrefer.com/ encyclopedia/S/suddeninf.html). Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is characterized by the sudden and unexplained death of an infant less than one year of age after a thorough case investigation has been performed, including a total autopsy (http://www.sids.org/). Although medical science has proven...

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2. Reducing the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome SIDS for short is an all to common occurrence. ... Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the sudden and unexplained death of an infant who is under one year of age who appear to be healthy. ... Sudden death Syndrome is the leading cause of death in infants who are between the ages of one month and one year. ... Room temperature is another thing physicians think may be a factor in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. ... Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is a horrible thing that happens to many families for no apparent reason. ...

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3. SIDS

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, the number one cause of infant deaths, strikes nearly 5,000 babies in the United States every year. In this paper I will define and give an overview of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), present information on the triple-risk , the factors that may contribute, the recommendations for reducing the risks and the resources available for understanding and coping with SIDS. ... In 1989 a panel of experts reviewed the scientific knowledge developed during the previous 20 years and issued this definition:"the sudden death of a...

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4. Shaken Baby Syndrome

Shaken Baby Syndrome Imagine yourself with a brand new child. ... You go about your day at home when all of a sudden the baby starts to cry very loud and doesn't stop. ... Shaken Baby Syndrome- shaking an infant or young child vigorously by the arms, legs, chest, or shoulders. ... Head trauma is the most frequent cause of lifelong damage or death among abused infants and children. ... Here are a few: Brain damage Spinal injury/paralysis Blindness or other eye trauma Seizures Delay in normal development - impaired motor and sensory skills Broken bones/dislocations Retardat...

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  • Grade Level: High School

5. Smoking

Environmental Tobacco Smoke [ETS], or secondhand smoke, is the third leading cause of preventable disease, disability and death in the U.S.; the first is active smoking, the second is alcohol use. ... This in my opinion is what makes the major difference between the leading three causes of preventable deaths. ... Yearly there are about 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmoking adults. ... Each year in the United States it is responsible for an estimated 35,000 to 40,000 deaths from heart disease in people who are not current smokers Other respiratory problems in nonsmokers include coughing, ...

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  • Grade Level: High School

6. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

A mother could cause her child to have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Effects, Alcohol Related Birth Defects, and in some cases death. ... More American babies are born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome than with Down Syndrome, MD, and HIV combined, (www.come-over...). ... They could range from an increase in the number of stillbirths, decreased apgar scores at birth, an increase in the number of birth defects, increased development delays, decreased I.Q. scores, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and an increased death rate. ... When a pregnant woman suddenly abstains from alcohol both she and her...

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  • Grade Level: High School

7. Substance Abuse During Pregnancy

Susceptibility to these substances ensue in birth defects such as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), low body weight, sudden infant death syndrome(SIDS), and mental retardation just to name a few. ... Smoking during pregnancy can result in birth defects such as low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and even asthma. ... The main effect of smoking during pregnancy is reduced oxygen and nutrients to the fetus which causes many adverse birth outcomes such as the placenta covering the cervix called 3 placenta previa, the wall of the uterus can deny oxygen to ...

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  • Grade Level: High School

8. SIDS

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, also known as SIDS, is the major "cause of death" among infants ranging from the ages of one month to one year, most occurring between two and four months old. ... SIDS deaths are sudden, occurring quickly with no signs of any suffering while the infants are asleep. ... Eight percent of SIDS deaths occur in the first six months of life, this age infants are considered to be at higher risk (Krous). ... SIDS cannot be diagnosed without a postmortem exam of the infant to rule out any of possibilities on the cause of death. ... Until the cause or a cure is found, we ...

  • Word Count: 1013
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

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