Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Is A Major Public Health Issue

          SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, a leading cause of death in infants under the age of one, has left medical experts unable to clearly define sudden infant death syndrome. After thirty years of research, the medical field has not discovered definite causes for SIDS. Medical experts have suggested many theories that have been studied and debated.

It is every parents’ worst fear to wake up one morning to find that their child has passed away without warning. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the common name used today is also referred to as Crib Death, which is an unexplained death occurring during sleep of a seemingly healthy baby less than a year old (mayo clinic). Even though there are some ways to prevent SIDS, there is no guarantee that a child is a hundred percent safe. Some ways to prevent SIDS can be done with parental knowledge of how SIDS occurs. Even though the baby has nothing medically wrong, it could be that the parents did something unintentionally by accident or are simply uniformed.

Infant mortality rate constitutes the death of a baby before their first birthday. Mortality rates around the world differ tremendously with America leading the first world countries at an alarming rate of 6.1 deaths per 1,000 births. Conversely, Finland and Japan secure the last, most desirable position, with deaths totaling 2.3 per 1,000 births, as of 2010. (Ovaska-Few, 2015) In 2014, over 23,000 babies died in the United States. (CDC, 2016) Exploring the mortality rates in America brings light to a dire need for additional interventions and research as to why this developing nation has the highest rate of infant deaths before the age of 1 year old. African Americans face the worst outcomes of infant death compared to whites, Latino, and their Native American peers in North Carolina. (Ovaska-Few, 2015) This paper will explore why African American are the leading race for infant mortality and the steps that health communities need to take to address this devastating occurrence.

This is particularly true in an unexplained saddened death. Babies are not supposed to die before their parents. Because the death of an infant is a disruption of the natural order, it is traumatic for parents, family, and friends. Not having a plausible cause of death, the suddenness of the tragedy, and the involvement of the legal system make a SIDS death especially difficult, leaving a great sense of loss and a need for understanding.

with watching their child, they also have to face their new life. They now have

Infant deaths in the neonatal period are caused by complications arising from preterm births, birth defects, maternal health conditions, complications of labor and delivery, and lack of access to appropriate care at the time of delivery. Infant deaths in the post-neonatal period are driven by sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) (including sudden infant death syndrome [SIDS]), injury, and infection (MMRW, 2013). An increasing proportion of post-neonatal infant deaths occur among infants who were born preterm but survived the neonatal period (Callaghan, 2006). On the other hand there is lesser knowledge of the incidence and etilogy of fetal mortality which according to MacDorman et al, makes fetal mortality an overlooked public health issue. Lee et al, echoed the same idea when they said infant mortality has been the main focus of public health programming while fetal deaths have gone untargeted. However, with the decrease in infant mortality rates there have been recent approaches such as perinatal period of risk analysis framework (PPOR) that highlight the need to include fetal

Researchers have studied the many possible causes of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and four have been selected for this paper.

Many questions about the causes of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as “crib death,” are still unresolved. The mysterious and elusive nature of SIDS creates problems, doubts, and more questions. This paper will present some of the most commonly asked questions as well as the answers that have been uncovered by scientists after years of research and study.

According to the Iowa SIDS Foundation, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the unforeseen death of an infant between the ages of one to twelve months old, without a known cause. Even after a thorough examination and autopsy, there is no recognizable cause of the death of the baby. Mayo Clinic states that scientists believe it could be linked to the portion of the brain that contains breathing but there is no proof that supports that statement. Scientists have been searching for

However, multiple risk factors are thought to increase the risk of an infant dying from SIDS. The textbook Essentials of Human Diseases and Conditions describes many of these contributing elements, such as, “smoking and drug abuse during the pregnancy, poor prenatal care, exposure of the infant to secondhand smoke, prematurity, recent upper respiratory tract infection in the infant, sleeping in the prone position, and a sibling with apnea”. Others in the medical field believe that there are genetic anomalies that can create a disposition to SIDS in an infant. One such individual is Debra Wood, R.N at the NYU-Langone Medical Center. In her article on SIDS, she proposes multiple genomic irregularities that could play a part in the eventual diagnosis of this disorder: “abnormalities in a section of the brain that controls breathing during sleep and waking, abnormalities in the control of heart rhythm, changes in how serotonin (a neurotransmitter) functions in the brain, changes in some components of the immune system, inadequate arousal response to breathing obstruction or asphyxia—a lack of oxygen or excess carbon dioxide in the body caused by interruption of breathing; may cause unconsciousness”. The Ohio Department of Health lists multiple maternal factors that are deemed important : placental abnormalities, low weight gain during pregnancy, anemia and a history of sexually transmitted disease (STD) or urinary tract infection (UTI). Environmental factors to be noted

states SIDS as being "the sudden death of any infant or young child which is

This article is important because it provides information on the findings of a research which could offer the basis for the forensic Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. This would aid people in

In this particular case, a mother has reported that her infant child was found dead, face-down in her crib when the mother went to check on her that morning. The most likely cause of death is asphyxia which is when there is an interference with the intake of oxygen. Since the infant was found face-down in a blanket it is highly likely that the infant suffocated; that would mean that the manner of death is accidental. However, it is possible that someone, maybe the mother or father, smothered the infant and then placed the infant face-down in the crib; that would mean that the manner of death is a homicide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that, in 2015, “4.5 million (75% of all under-five deaths) occurred within the first year of life,” displaying a shocking incidence of infants who do not make it to their first birthday in one year (2016). The mortality rate varies depending on the area of the world. Many of these deaths occurred in the “WHO African Region”; in contrast, the rate of infant deaths in Europe was far less (WHO, 2016). However, there has been a remarkable improvement over time. The WHO goes on to say that, globally,

Perinatal asphyxia is one of the most serious birth complications and a leading cause of permanent disability and death in full term neonates.