Letter to the Editor

"SIDS" and Its Preventable Risk Factors: Do Parents Know?

Authors: Muhammad Waseem, MD, Sagarika Nallu, MD, Joel Gernsheimer, MD

Abstract

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death in infants more than 1 month old. Infant sleeping position has been strongly linked with SIDS.1,2 Despite the impressive decline in the incidence of SIDS since the nationwide “Back to Sleep” campaigns, and the recommendation to avoid the prone sleep position, SIDS remains a leading cause of death in the first year of life. In 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a recommendation that “healthy term infants” be placed on their backs (supine) to sleep and to avoid the prone sleeping position.3–6 Despite the success of the campaign, we believe that more can be done to reduce the incidence of SIDS.

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References

1. Willinger M, Hoffman HJ, Hartfors RB. Infants sleep position and risk for sudden infant death syndrome. Pediatrics 1994;93:814–819.
 
2. Gibson E, Cullen JA, Spinner S, et al. Infant sleep position following new AAP guidelines. Pediatrics1995;96:69–72.
 
3. Dwyer T, Ponsonby AL, Blizzard L, et al. The contribution of changes in the prevalence of prone sleeping position to the decline in sudden infant death syndrome in Tasmania. JAMA 1995;273:783–789.
 
4. Centers for Disease Control. Sudden infant death syndrome—United States, 1983-1994. MMWR1996;45:859–863.
 
5. Taylor JA, Krieger JW, Reay DT, et al. Prone sleeping position and sudden infant death syndrome in King County, Washington: a case control study. J Pediatr 1996;128:626–630.
 
6. Mitchell EA, Thach BT, Thompson J, et al. For the New Zealand Cot Death Study. Changing infant’s sleep position increases risk of Sudden infant death syndrome. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med1999;153:1136–1141.