What is
Cot death?
Also known as sudden infant
death syndrome (SIDS). Cot deaths are most common among babies aged
between four weeks and one year, occurring particularly between the ages
of 2 and 4 months.
On post-mortem examination,
there may be evidence of an upper respiratory tract infection, pneumonia
or gastro-enteritis. 10% of cot deaths have no abnormal post-mortem
findings. This is one of the commonest causes of death among young babies
- about one baby in 500 dies from cot death.
return to top
What
other possible connections are there?
Since no one cause of cot
death has been established, a number of factors have been observed. As
follows :
- Some babies die as a
result of congenital abnormality of the heart.
- More babies who are
bottle-fed appear to suffer cot death than those who are breast fed.
- A link between
vaccination, in that it may be a violent shock to an immature immune
system.
- Smoking – deaths are
higher in families that smoke.
- Breathing problems
- Temperature control –
cot deaths have been found to be more common in winter than in summer,
though it is not the cold, but an excessively high body temperature
that is associated with cot death.
- Posture
- Separation from the
mother very early on can affect the child’s breathing.
