children s health issues
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Introduction
Sudden infant death syndrome is the sudden, unexpected death, usually during sleep, of a seemingly healthy infant between 1 month and 1 year of age. The cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is not known. Putting infants to sleep on their back; removing pillows, bumper guards, and toys from the crib; protecting infants from overheating; and preventing infants from breathing second-hand cigarette smoke may help prevent SIDS. Parents who have lost a child to SIDS should seek counseling and support groups. There is more than one term used to describe a sudden infant death. Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) is used broadly to describe any unexpected and sudden death in a child less than 1 year of age in which the cause is not obvious before an investigation is done. SUID includes sudden, unexpected deaths that have a cause, such as accidental deaths (resulting from accidental suffocation or strangulation), natural deaths (such as those resulting from an infection or a medical condition), and deaths due to intentional harm. SUID also includes sudden, unexpected deaths for which no cause is identified even after an evaluation or investigation is done, such as SIDS. SIDS (also called crib death) is one of the most common causes of death in infants between 1 month and 1 year of age. It most often affects children between the second month and fourth month of life. The syndrome occurs worldwide. There are many risk factors. There are racial and ethnic disparities. From 2015 to 2019, rates of SUID were highest in non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Natives, non-Hispanic Black people, and non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islanders. 