Sudden infant death syndrome is when an infant, under the age of one, dies during the night from an unexplained cause. It is rare for SIDS to occur within the first month, chances are higher around 2-4 months of age. There are no signs of infant distress in most cases and many mothers have stated that the infant feeds right before being laid down. It is only diagnosed after reviewing the infants’ clinical history and a complete autopsy examination is done excluding all other causes of death.
It is unclear if there are a combination of causes or a single cause but most of the infants are relatively healthy prior to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The cause of SIDS is unknown but research is staring to show that there might be a link showing defects in the part of the infants’ brain that stimulates arousal from sleep. Even though the knowledge and education of this disease has grown it still results in thousands of deaths each …show more content…
Male infants have been shown to be at a greater risk for SIDS than females. Also research shows SIDS is less likely among Caucasians, Asians, and Hispanics than in Native-Americans and African-Americans (Carolan, 2015). If there is a family history of SIDS their siblings are more prone to it as well. It is also seen less during the summer months than the winter months (Carolan, 2015). Researchers believe that there might be a triple risk factor for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Which states that if the child has all three factors, SIDS is very likely to occur (Sudden, 2012). The factors are as follows: There is an underlying defect that prevents the infant from responding to high carbon dioxide levels or low oxygen levels (Sudden, 2012). There is an event that initiates difficulty breathing, such as lying face down (Sudden, 2012). And that the events happen at a crucial developmental stage, around the first 6 months (Sudden,
It is unclear if there are a combination of causes or a single cause but most of the infants are relatively healthy prior to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The cause of SIDS is unknown but research is staring to show that there might be a link showing defects in the part of the infants’ brain that stimulates arousal from sleep. Even though the knowledge and education of this disease has grown it still results in thousands of deaths each …show more content…
Male infants have been shown to be at a greater risk for SIDS than females. Also research shows SIDS is less likely among Caucasians, Asians, and Hispanics than in Native-Americans and African-Americans (Carolan, 2015). If there is a family history of SIDS their siblings are more prone to it as well. It is also seen less during the summer months than the winter months (Carolan, 2015). Researchers believe that there might be a triple risk factor for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Which states that if the child has all three factors, SIDS is very likely to occur (Sudden, 2012). The factors are as follows: There is an underlying defect that prevents the infant from responding to high carbon dioxide levels or low oxygen levels (Sudden, 2012). There is an event that initiates difficulty breathing, such as lying face down (Sudden, 2012). And that the events happen at a crucial developmental stage, around the first 6 months (Sudden,