United States: UCSF scientists are slowly narrowing down the ability to predict SIDS or sudden infant death syndrome.
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In a JAMA Pediatrics study, they found biomarkers in the metabolic system of infants who died of SIDS.
It seems that the phenomenon of SIDS could have no single direct cause.
Moreover, “This study suggests that metabolic factors may play a crucial role in SIDS,” said Scott Oltman, MS, an epidemiologist at UCSF and first author of the study, medicalxpress.com reported.
“These patterns could help identify children at higher risk, potentially saving lives in the future,” he continued.
Causes of SIDS
SIDS kills nearly 1300 infants less than one-year-old every year, and scientists are yet to determine what causes these unexpected deaths.
What they do know is that there may be a list of factors that contribute to it, such as lack of prenatal care, smoking and drinking during pregnancy, racism, and breathing air pollution. SIDS affects the male babies more than the female babies.
Researchers are turning to biology to look for a cause of SIDS that can be screened for at birth or targeted with medication.
They have resorted to seeking biology to search for a cause of SIDS that can be diagnosed at birth or when the child is born or be treated by administering some medication, medicalxpress.com reported.
What more are the experts stating?
Investigators in this study realized from the earlier findings that the metabolic system could be involved in SIDS due to the way energy is utilized in the bodies.
They thought it best to look at the metabolic system in more detail, and so they compared the metabolic data extracted from newborn infants who were a part of the newborn screening in California.
They contrasted the parameters of the infants who were destined to die from SIDS with the parameters of similar infants who survived.
Deaths by SIDS
In the 354 postneonatal deaths attributable to SIDS, they identified some of the metabolic biomarkers that are potentially related to increased risk.
In particular, lower concentrations of C-3 and higher concentrations of C-14OH indicate that the infant is more likely to die from SIDS.
These results are consistent with other research that has previously linked enzymes of fatty acid oxidation, such as these ones, with SIDS.
The scientists also identified several more biomarkers that, when elevated, appeared to be associated with a lower chance of SIDS.