SIDS And New Findings

Updated on July 17, 2011
J.L. asks from San Diego, CA
10 answers

Does anyone read/listen to NPR? There is an article regarding the cause of SIDS and that it is preventable. I know nearly nothing about it but just wondered others opinions on the topic and/or article.

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answers from Pittsburgh on

I believe she is just saying that we should stop calling deaths due to unsafe sleeping practices SIDS. That said, I am truly AMAZED that there are people who still put their infants to be on their tummies or sides. I have seen multiple comments on this site that back sleeping is a 'fad' and that it leads to choking. NOT TRUE - there is actually good evidence that babies who vomit while on their stomachs are MORE likely to aspirate/choke than babies on their backs. Perhaps a fad like airbags, seat belts and car seats?

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answers from Jacksonville on

Honestly it doesn't really sound like new information. Just a new way of referencing the same thing. They've said for years that back sleeping helps reduce the risk. The majority of "SIDS" deaths are related to "unsafe" sleep environments... but there ARE still some that there is no explainable reason---nothing in the crib, the baby on it's back, etc. MOST, however, seem to be related to accidental suffocation (blankets, on their tummy, rolled on by cosleeping parent, trapped between pillows/cushions, etc.

Really, it just sounds like PR to try to change the name so that people will associate it with the fact that back sleeping alone really does impact the percentage of babies who are likely to die suddenly for "no reason"--which really just means that it is a step that reduces the risk of accidental suffocation. They haven't "discovered" the "cause" of SIDS. What they have discovered, is that a lot of the reporting of SIDS is misreported and often it is more of an accidental suffocation situation than purely the baby stopped breathing for no known reason. All SIDS means is that they don't know what happened.
They want to change the label b/c they think that they are getting a better grasp on what might be happening in a lot of cases: accidental suffocation.

At least that is how I read that article.

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answers from Kansas City on

Good article, lots to think about.

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answers from Los Angeles on

If you read the article carefully, she is NOT saying SIDS is preventable. She is saying that many deaths classified as SIDS are really accidental suffocation deaths. We need to stop calling them SIDS. She's saying that if we call them what they are - accidental suffocation - the rate of SIDS would be much lower. It's a case of misdiagnosis.

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answers from Los Angeles on

IMHO is in some of the cases it is inflammation in the brain caused by vaccines. Too many, too soon. If they took pictures of the brain before the shots and took pictures at the two day and two week mark after the shots, I think there would be a change made to the vaccine schedule. Not gonna happen though.



answers from Colorado Springs on

I think you should look up the link between vaccines and SIDS. And yes, there is a link



answers from Charlotte on




answers from Dallas on

My son died of SIDS in 2004. The autopsy found nothing. He was asleep on his back with NO blankets or anything in his crib. SIDS is the label given to infant deaths when there is no other cause found. This is not "new findings." It's also not related to vaccines. SIDS can't be prevented, because it is a diagnosis of exclusion (just like the article said). How can you prevent something that doesn't have a cause? Many infant deaths may be labeled SIDS until an investigation is done and then it is determined that there was another cause (suffacation, etc). At that point it's no longer SIDS.


answers from Portland on

The article is interesting and equally that the charts have gone down over the years as safer teachings have been in play. I know there are cases that the child just dies in the parent's arm but I don't think that is what they are referring to. I think she is credible enough after so many examinations of the deaths to say that there is a point to it, while it isn't a blanket statement for anyone, it can be pretty accurate.

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