Sudden infant death syndrome: what it is and recommendations to avoid it.

The causes of this phenomenon are still unknown, but there are already theories about it.

The arrival of a newborn baby into the world is always a reason for joy in a family. The care of the newborn and the concern for its health will be topics that will invade the parents' heads during the first months and years of life.

However, there is a terrible condition that can cause the sudden death of the baby: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).. In this article we will talk about it, about what can cause it and will provide some guidelines to avoid it.

What is sudden infant death syndrome?

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), is the most common cause of sudden infant death.Crib death, or white death, is a rare occurrence in which an apparently healthy child under the age of one year dies suddenly and without apparent explanation.

Usually, when this happens parents usually find the newborn dead within hours of putting it to bed and with no apparent signs of having died. and with no apparent signs of having suffered any suffering. Since the death is sudden and without known causes, there is no previous symptomatology that could alert parents to the risk of this syndrome.

Finally, an indispensable condition for these cases to be considered as sudden infant death syndrome is that, after a complete autopsy and investigation, the causes of the infant's death remain unknown, the causes of the infant's death remain unexplained..

The steps to follow for a correct evaluation of the case are: a complete autopsy, an examination and recognition of the place of death and its circumstances and a thorough review of the medical history of the newborn and his family.

As for the incidence of this rare condition, the majority of cases, specifically around 90%, usually occur in the newborn. 90%, tend to occur between 2 and 6 months of age of the infant; the number of deaths in this age group has increased considerably.The number of deaths has increased considerably in the winter months.

Although SIDS is responsible for far fewer deaths than those caused by congenital disorders and disorders associated with premature births, it is considered the leading cause of death in infants one month of age or older without any medical condition.

Statistics show that in the European Union this syndrome occurs with a probability of between 1.5 and 2 deaths per 1,000. Likewise, if we focus only on Spain, it is responsible for between 0.15 and 0.23 deaths per 1,000 live births. is the cause of between 0.15 and 0.23 deaths per 1,000 live births..

Causes and risk factors

As mentioned above, the exact causes that lead to the onset of SIDS are not yet known. However, some lines of research have recently been opened that link this syndrome to various causes.

The two theories that are gaining the most support in the medical community are those that link the infant's death to problems with the infant's death to problems in sleep stimulation, i.e., the infant could be suffering fromthat is, the baby could suffer from some type of alteration in the ability to wake up.

The second hypothesis theorizes that the baby's organism would not have the ability to detect the existence of a build-up of carbon dioxide levels in the blood, the failure of this reflex would lead to the baby's death.If this reflex fails, it is the failure of this reflex that would lead to the infant's death.

However, the number of infant deaths due to sudden infant death syndrome has decreased considerably in recent years. Specifically, since health personnel have emphasized the recommendations to put the baby to sleep on its back and never on its stomach. So the sleeping posture, and facilitating breathing, could also be related.

Risk factors

Among the risk factors associated with sudden infant death syndrome are the following.

• • Exposure of the newborn to tobacco smoke. A large number of infants who die of SIDS have higher nicotine and cotinine concentrations in the lungs than infants who die of other causes.
• Lying the baby face down.
• Excessively high room temperature.
• Excessive use of bedding, cushions or stuffed animals.
• Lying the baby On a mattress that is too soft.
• Babies born to teenage mothers.
• Consecutive pregnancies.
• Poor nutrition of the mother during pregnancy.
• Overweight in the mother.
• Inadequate prenatal care.
• Babies born prematurely.
• Sex of the baby. SIDS occurs more in boys than in girls..
• Birth weight less than 1.5 kg.
• Family history.
• Drug use..
• Multiple births.

Although it is clearly determined that all of the above risk factors pose a threat to the child's life, the level of influence of each one on the appearance of the syndrome has not yet been fully determined.

Tips for its prevention

Given the complexity of this syndrome and the lack of knowledge that still exists about it, it is essential that parents of newborns take into account a series of care guidelines in order to prevent, in every possible way, this disease from appearing.

In order to provide support for parents, the American Academy of Pediatrics has drawn up a series of recommendations:

1. Always put the baby to bed on its back.

Both at bedtime at night and during daytime naps the baby should sleep on his or her back.

2. Lay the baby on a firm surface

It is necessary to lay the baby on a firm and stable surface, such as a crib or a bed prepared for babies and, for example, never on a sofa.

3. Put babies to bed in the same room as the parents.

This will facilitate the care, feeding and feeding of the child.

4. Avoid soft mattresses

The baby should rest on rest on a stable, firm, snug-fitting crib mattress without any loose parts or fabrics.. The use of cushions, sheets or quilts should also be avoided.

5. Control the room temperature

Check that the room temperature is not too high. The ideal temperature is one at which an adult is comfortable wearing light clothing.. Also check that the baby is not hot to the touch.

6. Using pacifiers or bottles before bedtime

It is hypothesized that the use of pacifiers or bottles favors the opening of the Respiratory tract and prevents the baby from falling into a deep sleep.

7. Do not smoke near the baby

It is essential to to keep the baby free from the effect of tobacco smoke.Therefore, it is absolutely contraindicated to smoke near the baby or in any of the rooms where the baby stays.

8. Avoiding alcohol and drug use

Although this point may seem obvious, it is necessary to remember that any type of substance use during or after pregnancy can pose a great risk to the baby's health.

9. Breastfeeding

It has been shown that practicing breastfeeding habits can reduce respiratory tract infections. infections affecting the respiratory tractwhich can influence the appearance of this syndrome.