Sudden infant death syndrome (sids)

General or Other | Emergency Medicine | Sudden infant death syndrome (sids) (Disease)


Description

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) occurs especially infants from birth to age 6 months, affecting mostly males and the incidence varies between 0. 1% -0. 3%. Only 19% of sudden deaths in children between 1-13 years of cardiac origin, while between 14 to 21 years, 30% are cardiac. In older children, more than 75% of cases, it is attributed to heart disease.

Causes and Risk factors

Infection is the leading cause of sudden death in children, followed by cardiac causes. More than 50% of cardiac causes in children during exercise are not represented idiopathic arrhythmia on a seemingly normal heart at autopsy. Causes of sudden death in children were linked to a number of cardiovascular diseases, which include: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, coronary anomalies, WPW syndrome, long QT syndrome and surgical correction for congenital heart disease, such as tetralogy of Fallot or high transposition of vessels. Causes of sudden death in apparently healthy children: cardiac; myocarditis; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; conduction system abnormalities; myocardial fibrosis; coronary artery abnormalities; infection; cerebral hemorrhage; abdominal hemorrhage; toxins; pulmonary abnormalities.

The greatest risk of sudden death is considered to be too tight dressing of the infant and positioning in bed face down, especially when the child is febrile; infant overheating is a risk factor, the child has not yet developed the mechanisms of thermal regulation.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Autopsy results are not able to confirm a cause of death, but may help add to the existing knowledge about SIDS. Autopsies may be required by state law in the event of unexplainable death. ...