Sudden Infant Death Syndrome – What it is, Causes and Prevention
It is not clear whether Sudden Death Syndrome occurs during sleep or in the transitional periods between sleep and wakefulness, which occur during the night. What is known is that the peak incidence is between 2 and 4 months of age, which is more common in boys, putting the child to sleep on his stomach (pronation) greatly increases the risk and occurrence after 6 months. age is rare. So, check out more about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome – What it is, Causes and Prevention:
What is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Sudden and unexplained Sudden Infant Death Syndrome of babies overnight has haunted mankind since biblical times.
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Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is defined when babies under 1 year of age are found in their cribs lifeless, with no cause to explain the death, after carefully investigating the location, medical and family history.
In addition, postmortem examination does not show any clinical cause of death. There is no explanation for the baby’s death. There are no signs of suffocation or choking.
It is important to note that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is not a sign of parental neglect. This form of Sudden Death Syndrome is not caused by vaccinations and is not contagious. Babies and children who have had recent, close contact with a deceased baby are not at risk.
There is also no evidence that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome has any hereditary factors. The risk of a family that has already had a case of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome having a new episode with a second child is only 1%.
Causes of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Although there is no concrete explanation for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome , some scholars believe that it is related to an anomaly in the brainstem, responsible for controlling breathing.
Sudden Death Syndrome can also result from changes in heart rate and breathing while the child sleeps, due to problems in the child’s autonomic system. Heart disorders also show up in some research.
As just mentioned, to be considered Sudden Infant Death Syndrome , the deceased baby cannot have any identifiable cause of death. This does not mean, however, that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome does not have a cause. It certainly has, we still haven’t been able to identify it.
Among the theories most accepted today, one has gained a lot of prominence. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is thought to occur due to a delay in the maturity of the baby’s brain stem, the area of the central nervous system that controls breathing, heartbeat and blood pressure .
Factors such as putting the child to sleep on his stomach, asphyxia due to compression of the airways, exacerbated inhalation of carbon dioxide, hyperthermia caused by pressing the baby’s face against the pillow or problems caused by premature birth are the main causes for this condition. type of Sudden Infant Death .
The central nervous system immaturity theory is supported by the fact that Sudden Death is more common in premature or low birth weight babies.
Symptoms of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: The factors mentioned above should be avoided to ensure the safety of the baby during sleep. You should check regularly, several times during the baby’s rest, how breathing is going.
Children affected by this problem show signs of difficulty breathing that can progress to asphyxia. The child may have purple skin and make noise when breathing, which points to a picture of difficulty in breathing.
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Prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: In addition to the position “sleep on your back, with the head to the side”, the pacifier seems to be a protective factor. That’s right. Babies who use it to sleep have a lower incidence of Sudden Death Syndrome . For prevention, the following measures must be taken:
- Do not wrap too much clothing and keep the room around 22º C;
- Do not use mattresses and pillows that are too soft;
- Never expose the baby to cigarette smoke;
- Prevent the baby from sleeping on the stomach or side, prefer the supine position;
- Sleep in the same room, but not share a bed with the child;
- Do not drink alcohol or smoke during pregnancy .