May 30, 2008

expert comments on sudden unexpected deaths in infancy (SUDI) paper in the Lancet

Many sudden and unexpected deaths of infants go unexplained, but this study provided new evidence that some may be due to infections caused by common strains of bacteria.

Prof Alan Craft, Professor of Child Health, Newcastle University, said:

“Every year around 250 infants die suddenly and unexpectedly. These are known as SUDI deaths (sudden unexpected deaths in infancy).

“Some will have a recognised cause but most will remain unexplained. It has long been thought that infection might be a cause of some SUDI but until now it was only if there was evidence of a baby’s response to the infection that this was taken to be the cause. If bacteria are isolated from a body after death, and there is no evidence of a tissue response, then it has usually been put down as a chance finding.

“This well conducted study provides us with new evidence suggesting that even in the absence of a tissue reaction a bacterium grown at post mortem may be of significance. A possible mechanism would be that the bacterium produces a toxin which contributes to the death of the infant. The bacteria found are ones which are in all of our bodies most of the time and there is nothing that can be done to avoid them.

“SUDI is very rare and the best way to minimise the risk is to ensure that babies sleep on their backs and that parents do not smoke tobacco.”