what is cot death & why it happens so !?

Question

it is concerned with paediatrics .

Answer 1

According to American Association of SIDS:

SIDS is the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history. (Willinger et al, 1991).

In a typical situation parents check on their supposedly sleeping infant to find him or her dead. This is the worse tragedy parents can face, a tragedy which leaves them with a sadness and a feeling of vulnerability that lasts throughout their lives. Since medicine can not tell them why their baby died, they blame themselves and often other innocent people. Their lives and those around them are changed forever.

According to Indian Medical Association:

A lack of answers is part of what makes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) so frightening. SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants who are 1 month to 1 year old, and claims the lives of about 2,500 infants each year in the United States. It remains unpredictable despite years of research. Even so, you can take steps to help reduce the risk of SIDS in your infant. First and foremost, put your infant to sleep on his or her back if the baby is younger than 1 year old.

Searching for Answers
As the name implies, SIDS is the sudden and unexplained death of an infant who is younger than 1 year old. It is a frightening prospect because it can strike without warning, usually in a seemingly healthy infant. Most SIDS deaths are associated with sleep (hence the common reference to "crib death"), and infants who die of SIDS show no signs of suffering.

While most conditions or diseases usually are diagnosed by the presence of specific symptoms, most SIDS diagnoses come only after all other possible causes of death have been ruled out through a review of the infant's medical history and environment. This review helps distinguish true SIDS deaths from those resulting from accidents, abuse, and previously undiagnosed conditions, such as cardiac or metabolic disorders.

When considering which babies could be most at risk, no single risk factor is likely to be sufficient to cause a SIDS death. Rather, several risk factors combined may contribute to cause an at-risk infant to die of SIDS.

Most deaths due to SIDS occur between 2 and 4 months of age, and incidence increases during cold weather. African-American infants are twice as likely and Native American infants are about three times more likely to die of SIDS than caucasian / Indian infants. More boys than girls fall victim to SIDS.

Other potential risk factors include:

smoking, drinking, or drug use during pregnancy
poor prenatal care
prematurity or low birth-weight
mothers younger than 20
smoke exposure following birth
overheating from excessive sleepwear and bedding
stomach sleeping
Stomach sleeping. Foremost among these risk factors is stomach sleeping. Numerous studies have found a higher incidence of SIDS among babies placed on their stomachs to sleep than among those sleeping on their backs or sides. Some researchers have hypothesized that stomach sleeping puts pressure on a child's jaw, therefore narrowing the airway and hampering breathing.

Another theory is that stomach sleeping can increase an infant's risk of "rebreathing" his or her own exhaled air, particularly if the infant is sleeping on a soft mattress or with bedding, stuffed toys, or a pillow near the face. In that scenario, the soft surface could create a small enclosure around the baby's mouth and trap exhaled air. As the baby breathes exhaled air, the oxygen level in the body drops and carbon dioxide accumulates. Eventually, this lack of oxygen could contribute to SIDS.

Also, infants who succumb to SIDS may have an abnormality in the arcuate nucleus, a part of the brain that may help control breathing and awakening during sleep. If a baby is breathing stale air and not getting enough oxygen, the brain usually triggers the baby to wake up and cry. That movement changes the breathing and heart rate, making up for the lack of oxygen. But a problem with the arcuate nucleus could deprive the baby of this involuntary reaction and put him or her at greater risk for SIDS.

Going "Back to Sleep"
The striking evidence that stomach sleeping might contribute to the incidence of SIDS led the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to recommend in 1992 that all healthy infants younger than 1 year of age be put to sleep on their backs (also known as the supine position). Since the AAP's recommendation, the rate of SIDS has dropped by over 40%. Still, SIDS remains the leading cause of death in young infants, so it's important to keep reminding parents about the necessity of back sleeping.

Many parents fear that babies put to sleep on their backs could choke on spit-up or vomit. According to the AAP, however, there is no increased risk of choking for healthy infants who sleep on their backs. (For infants with chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease [GERD] or certain upper airway malformations, sleeping on the stomach may be the better option. The AAP urges parents to consult with their child's doctor in these cases to determine the best sleeping position for the baby.)

Placing infants on their sides to sleep is not a good idea, the AAP said. There is too much risk that the infants will roll over onto their bellies while they sleep.

Some parents may also be concerned about positional plagiocephaly, a condition in which babies develop a flat spot on the back of their heads from spending too much time lying on their backs. Since the Back to Sleep campaign, this condition has become quite common - but it is usually easily treatable by changing your baby's position frequently and allowing for more "tummy time" while he or she is awake.

Of course, once babies can roll over consistently - usually around 4 to 7 months - they may choose not to stay on their backs all night long. At this point, it's fine to let babies pick a sleep position on their own.

Tips for Reducing the Risk of SIDS
In addition to placing healthy infants on their backs to sleep, the AAP suggests the following measures to help reduce the risk of SIDS:

Place your baby on a firm mattress to sleep, never on a pillow, waterbed, sheepskin, or other soft surface. Do not put fluffy blankets, comforters, stuffed toys, or pillows near the baby to prevent rebreathing.
Make sure your baby does not get too warm while sleeping. Keep the room at a temperature that feels comfortable for an adult in a short-sleeve shirt. To avoid overheating, cover the baby only with a light blanket that reaches no further than the shoulders. Some researchers suggest that a baby who gets too warm could go into a deeper sleep, making it more difficult to awaken.
Do not smoke, drink, or use drugs while pregnant and do not expose your baby to secondhand smoke. Infants of mothers who smoked during pregnancy are three times more likely to die of SIDS than those whose mothers were smoke-free; exposure to secondhand smoke doubles a baby's risk of SIDS. Researchers speculate that smoking might affect the central nervous system, starting prenatally and continuing after birth, which could place the baby at increased risk.
Receive early and regular prenatal care.
Make sure your baby has regular well-baby checkups.
Breastfeed, if possible. There is some evidence that breastfeeding may help decrease the incidence of SIDS. The reason for this is not clear, though researchers think that breast milk may help protect babies from infections that increase the risk of SIDS.
If your baby has GERD, be sure to follow your child's doctor's guidelines on feeding and sleep positions.
Put your baby to sleep with a pacifier during the first year of life. If your baby rejects the pacifier, don't force it. Pacifiers have been linked with lower risk of SIDS. If you're breastfeeding, it's a good idea to wait until after the baby is 1 month old so that breastfeeding can be established.
While infants can be brought into a parent's bed for nursing or comforting, parents should return them to their cribs or bassinets when they're ready to sleep. It's a good idea to keep the cribs and bassinets in the room where parents' sleep. This has been linked with a lower risk of SIDS.
For parents and families who have experienced a SIDS death, there are many groups, including the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Alliance, that provide grief counseling, support, and referrals. Growing public awareness of SIDS and the steps to reduce infants' risk of sudden death hopefully will leave fewer parents searching for answers in the future.

Answer 2

Realize that suffocation deaths are no longer considered cot death as they are identifiable. Cot death happens due to: Apnea episodes Unidentified birth defects Sleeping too deeply (may or may not be due to birth defect) Overheating (which may cause sleeping too deeply) Indoor air pollution (which may explain why adding a fan is so effective) A couple other reasons that currently do not come to mind. There is some slight evidence that vaccinations in the first year may increase SIDS deaths. This is based on a couple of factors, but not studied enough. Half of all SIDS deaths are babies who were born prematurely.

Answer 3

Its more commonly called SIDS: sudden infant death syndrome. Try searching on that.

Nobody knows what causes it, but some factors seem to make it more likely:

Smoker in household
Sleeing on stomach
Overbundled

You can reduce the risk of SIDS by having infants sleep on their backs, and dressing them appropriately. Do not let anyone smoke in the house, and if anyone smokes, they should wash their hands before handling the baby.

Answer 4

Sudden Infant Death occurs suddenly, occurs only in infants, and occurs in the cot!
Any answer is all inferential.
The baby often turns over on his stomach, when the baby's neck is still not strong enough to lift its head and breathe!
Result? Suffocation!
It's sudden. It's over! No one is aware till it's too late!

Answer 5

Its typically called SIDS (sudden Infant death syndrome)
It usually happens during the first year of life, but chances are reduced drastically by 6 months of age and if proper precautions are taken

They believe some factors such as laying a newborn to sleep on their stomach (baby is inhaling more carbon monoxide and is unable to roll over), using blankets/comforters (baby can smother themselves), using cushy bumper pads (baby can burrow face into this and smother themselves), allowing a baby to sleep on a pillow or very soft mattress, Lack of airflow because of thick bumper pads (baby is breathing recycled air), inhaling second hand smoke (again, carbon monoxide inhalation), baby being too warm (babies have trouble regulating their temperature at this young age) can all lead to SIDS.

Some preventable measures are: Laying your newborn to sleep on their back (when a baby is able to roll unassisted from stomach to back it is not necessary to turn baby back onto their back if they have rolled on their own), using no bumper pads or mesh ones (Jolly Jumper brand makes "Air Flow Bumper Pads" designed for this) Making sure the crib is free of any clothing, blankets (You may want to try using a SwaddleMe Blanket by Kiddopotamus or a swaddling blanket by First Years instead of a free blanket; baby actually wears this blanket) Making sure you have a properly fitted sheet for the crib, Never put a baby on a pillow to sleep (sinks into the cushyness and may smother, inhaling more carbon monoxide) Make sure crib mattress is firm.


SIDS is NOT linked to vaccinations. Aways have your child vaccinated!

Answer 6

I've read some stuff on SIDS by doing a google search on it. Try doing a google search on natural cures for SIDS.

Answer 7

Yes, as previous posters mentioned, it is sudden infant death occuring between 2, 4, 6 months of age. The babies just stop breathing.....hmmmm coincides with the vaccination schedule, hmmmmmmm. I'll let you all ponder that for awhile.