Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - Overview

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is death of a baby, under one year of age that occurs in sleep and cannot be explained.

When the baby died,
On every side
Rose strangers' voices,
Hard and harsh and loud.
The baby was not wrapped in any shroud.
The mother made no sound. Her head was bowed
That men's eyes might not see
Her misery.
- Helen Hunt Jackson

In Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, no cause of death can be found, nor are any noticeable precursory symptoms evident. The child does not show signs of suffering and almost all cases of sudden infant death syndrome occur during sleep.

Although the specific causes of SIDS remains unknown, several factors have been identified that may put the babies at risk. According to researchers, simple measures can be taken to prevent the child from succumbing to SIDS. The most significant step is to, perhaps, to place the baby on his or her back.

Since 1992, parents have been advised by pediatricians to put their babies to sleep on their backs, and never on their stomachs. Incidence of SIDS have since then declined by 43 percent. The cause of this 'silent killer' remains a mystery.

The most important preventive measure for SIDS is to place the baby on his or her back while sleeping.

1. Do Baby Sitters Know All About Safe Baby Sleeping Position? Not Likely

Babies who had died due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), might have been placed in unsafe sleep positions, such as on their stomachs, or in unsafe locations, such as a couch, finds a new study. These dangerous mistakes are accidentally committed by babysitters and relatives when parents are not around.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - References

Symptom Checker - (http://www.webmd.com/diseases_and_conditions/symptom_checker.htm)
Sudden infant death syndrome - (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudden_infant_death_syndrome)
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) - (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sudden-infant-death-syndrome/DS00145/DSECTION=2)
Know More on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - (http://www.emedicine.com/PED/topic2171.htm)

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Dr. Anitha Paderla. (2018, April 07). Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - Overview. Medindia. Retrieved on May 29, 2023 from https://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/sleep/sudden_infant_death_syndrome_sids.htm.
MLA

Dr. Anitha Paderla. "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - Overview". Medindia. May 29, 2023. <https://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/sleep/sudden_infant_death_syndrome_sids.htm>.
Chicago
Dr. Anitha Paderla. "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - Overview". Medindia. https://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/sleep/sudden_infant_death_syndrome_sids.htm. (accessed May 29, 2023).
Harvard
Dr. Anitha Paderla. 2018. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - Overview. Medindia, viewed May 29, 2023, https://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/sleep/sudden_infant_death_syndrome_sids.htm.