Sudden infant death syndrome: Doctors uncover potential cause in breakthrough study

After extensive research into sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), doctors believe they may have found a cause, as per a new study published in Neurology. It suggests that brief seizures along with muscle convulsions could potentially be behind these tragic instances — causing the sorrow of thousands of U.S families annually. The NYU Langone’s lead researcher, Dr. Laura Gould, indicated that the small-scale study is the first to provide direct proof that seizures may account for some sudden deaths in children, predominantly those that go unseen during sleep.

Cases of ‘crib death,’ as SIDS is often known, typically affect infants who are younger than six months and frequently occur during sleep. For older children, this unexplainable event is categorized as sudden unexplained death in children (SUDC). The SUDC Registry and Research Collaborative was established at NYU Langone by Gould, as a result of her own tragic loss of her 15-month-old daughter in 1997 to SUDC.

Gould's researchers scrutinized over 300 SUDC registry cases, perusing medical records, babies' sleep video recordings, as well as seven instances where seizures were the likely cause of death. The video footage revealed the convulsions lasted less than a minute and tragically, death followed within 30 minutes.

“Studying convulsive seizures might provide the vital clue needed to understand the cause of these children's deaths,” stated study's senior investigator and neurologist, Dr. Orrin Devinsky, who assisted Gould in establishing the registry. “The research may also offer crucial insight into other deaths, including those from SIDS and epilepsy.”

Previously, scientists noticed a link between SUDC and seizures, with sudden, unexpected deaths found to be 10 times likelier in children who experienced febrile seizures (those linked with fever). While the NYU team didn't gather data on whether fevers preceded the studied deaths, they found that several children showed signs of mild infections.

However, further research is needed to fully comprehend how seizures can result in death. This revelation follows earlier findings that low levels of a blood enzyme, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), crucial for waking, could be a potential SIDS cause.

Previously, doctors advised parents to put babies to sleep on their backs, avoiding excess toys or covers in the crib to prevent overheating, suffocation or accidental strangulation, but even then, safety wasn't guaranteed.