Alcohol as a risk factor for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) As we began studying the concept of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in class and within chapter four in our textbook. I immediately became interested in how a baby could suddenly die at such a young age. I had never heard about the syndrome before and began to search databases to find such causations for this tragedy that takes over 2,500 children under the age of one, each year. This epidemiological study I found to be most interesting was to identify if alcohol usage from a mother could be a potential factor for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The researchers took all SIDS cases (n = 129,090) and other infant deaths (n = 295,151) from 1973–2006 in the United States and used …show more content…
They then used three forms of data to try and find a correlation between these SIDS cases and usage of alcohol from the mother. They looked at: the expected number of deaths on New Year versus the actual observed amount, the average number of weekend deaths versus the average number of weekday deaths, and the SIDS death rate for children of alcohol- consuming versus non-alcohol-consuming mothers. The researchers then compared all of these to help find a trend between the holidays and days of the week and children who died of SIDS with alcohol consuming mothers.On the graph comparing alcohol-related car crashes to the day it occurred, 2 significant outliers were found on both New Year’s Eve and the 4th of July which showed the same correlation as the graph comparing SIDS deaths on the day they occurred. They were also able to find that the number or people involved in alcohol related cases increased within the weekend compared to that of a weekday, and showed the same pattern of increase during these days as did the deaths of infants dying from SIDS. Whereas the number of infants …show more content…
They had lots of information and used many different resources of public information to gather as much information as possible. As a reader, I felt like I was receiving the best possible outlet for data because of the time they went through to check specific data bases such as the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), and every recorded infant death from the year 1973 to 2004. I knew this wasn’t just checked over a couple years and that the patterns could be found continuous over the decades. It really helped their validity to their
Many questions about the causes of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as “crib death,” are still unresolved. The mysterious and elusive nature of SIDS creates problems, doubts, and more questions. This paper will present some of the most commonly asked questions as well as the answers that have been uncovered by scientists after years of research and study.
Each year, about 5,000 teens are killed or injured in traffic crashes as a result of underage drinking and about 1,900 are due to car accidents. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation) In the newsletter, safety in numbers by National highway traffic administration and U.S department of transportation “Of all the people who died in motor vehicle crashes during 2012, 31 percent died in crashes involving a drunk driver, and this percentage remains unchanged for the past 10 years” (Vol 1, 2013). Crashes involving alcohol include fatal crashes in which a driver had a BAC of .01 g/ ld. or higher (Underage Drinking Statistics)). Deadly crashes involving alcohol are twice as common in teens compared to people 21 and older. This is because teens’ judgment skills are harmed more by alcohol. Teens who drink not only risk hurting themselves, they risk hurting their friends, family, and even strangers when driving intoxicated. Teens and parents both need a strong reminder that underage drinking is illegal and can have disastrous consequences. According to Health Day News, “one study found that in 2011, 36 percent of U.S. college students said they'd gone binge drinking (five or more drinks in one sitting) within the past two weeks, as compared to 43 percent of college students in 1988. Since 2006, the current law has reduced the rate of drunk driving crashes among young Americans” (Preidt, 2014 and DeJong, 2014). This proves that lives have been saved after the legal drinking age increased. According to an article in Time Magazine called “Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered?”, “lowering the drinking age to 18 would stop infantilizing college students, but it would probably kill mor...
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or "crib death" is an abrupt and inexplicable death of an apparently healthy infant. Most of the cases involve infants from ages 1-12 months, and the event occurs during the night. Various theories have been postulated from research results but without consistency of the etiology. Since the death is sudden, prior diagnostic criteria or patterns are not available for correlation, although some near-miss infants have been followed. A number of possibilities have been documented in current literature, to include beta-endorphin changes, abnormal temperature regulation, pineal abnormalities, carotid body irregularities, lead poisoning, elevated fetal hemoglobin, brainstem immaturity, and cerebral hypoperfusion. The following is an overview of these pathologies in their relation to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Imagine one night you are putting your baby to sleep like you always do, when you wake up in the morning to find that your infant has all of the sudden passed away in their sleep. This phenomenon has become a parent’s worst fear. Their baby has passed away from sudden infant death syndrome and there is nothing they can do or could have done about it. SIDS is a real thing and has occurred all throughout history. It is very important to understand variables that can increase your chance of losing a baby to SIDS, looking for signs in their cry that could hint towards SIDS and taking every step you can to avoid sudden infant death syndrome from striking your family.
Alcohol (wine, beer, or liquor) is the leading known preventable cause of developmental and physical birth defects in the United States. When a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy, she risks giving birth to a child who will pay the price, in mental and physical deficiencies, for his or her entire life. One study (Phyllis Trujillo Lewis, MA, Philip A. May, PhD, and Virginia C. Shipman, PhD, 2007) asserted that “Numerous studies on alcohol-related birth defects have concluded that maternal drinking, compounded by other risk factors, leads to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS is a serious birth defect and the most common non-genetic cause of mental retardation” as said by (Hankin, 2002; Abel & Sokol,1986; O’Connor, Kogan, & Findlay, 2002; May & Gossage, in press). It is unknown how much maternal alcohol consumption results in FAS or other related disorders, or why some women who drink are at substantially higher risk of giving birth to a child with alcohol-related disabilities than others (Stratton, Howe, & Battaglia, 1996). However, researchers have identified several maternal risk factors differentially associated with FAS. These include advanced maternal age, number of pregnancies, previous births of a child with FAS, cohabitation with a male partner who drinks heavily, and low socioeconomic status (SES; May et al. 2004; 2008a; Viljoen et al., 2002). FAS is 100% preventable, which makes awareness and education the core preventative method for FAS. It is seen through Lewis, May & Shipman’s research that women who are less educated are less aware of the risks involved with drinking while pregnant.
In conclusion, the specifics of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome are not very well known. Even today, research is still being carried out to determine the exact cause of this silent disease. Until that time comes, the public must rely on preventative tips in order to reduce the frequency of this disease infiltrating more families.
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the most frequent cause of death between 1 month and 1 year of age (Naeye). SIDS is defined as the sudden death of any infant or young child that is unexpected by it’s history, and in which a thorough postmortem examination fails to determine an adequate cause (Hunt 1987). It is important to consider both aspects of this definition in order not to ‘overdiagnose’ SIDS. A mistake of this nature would occur with failure to report a previous history of seizures, or if at the time of the autopsy a differentiation between suffocation due to rebreathing and SIDS was not made (Kemp 1993). One of the major characteristics of SIDS is that of ‘silent death’, which occurs during a sleep period. The majority of SIDS cases are between 1-6 months, with the peak occurrence being between 2-4 months. Boys are affected more often than girls (Becker, 1990).
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death in infants. I choose SIDS as my topic, because it is a huge problem and risk for children. Although, I am not a mother yet, I plan to be someday, and I think learning more about SIDS and understanding what I can about the syndrome is beneficial not only for me as a future parent, but also for my future child. SIDS is the unexplained death of an outwardly healthy infant. The infant is less than twelve months old. SIDS most often occurs during an infant’s sleep. SIDS can be caused by numerous different events. However, the risk of SIDS increases if an infant sleeps on their belly, or if an infant sleeps in a bed with the parents or caretakers, also known as co-sleeping. Additionally,
Sudden Infant Syndrome is the abrupt, mysterious death of a baby that is younger than the age of one. It is the top reason of fatality among babies between one month and one year of age. Sudden Infant Syndrome is abbreviated as SIDS, and it is occasionally called “crib death” or “cot death.” It is associated with the timeframe when the baby is slumbering. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development reported that more than two thousand babies died of SIDS in 2010.
The Center for Disease Control (2011) in Atlanta, Georgia states that “Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths or SUIDs are defined as deaths in infants less than 1 year of age that occur suddenly and unexpectedly, and whose cause of death are not immediately obvious prior to investigation.” It has been documented that every year in the United States, approximately 4,000 infants perish in a sudden onset episode of not apparent origin. Roughly fifty percent of the Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths are due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, SIDS. Through research the organization Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Council tell us that there are three frequently reported causes of Sudden Unexplained Infant Death and SIDS (2013). They are “cause unknown, accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed.” The council goes on to provide statistics taken from the most recent census, “In 2010, 2,063 deaths were reported as SIDS, 918 as cause unknown, and 629 as accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed.” The CDC collects new data on infant death every five years. The CDPHP council has taken community measures to provide teaching and grief
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, more commonly known as SIDS is the unexplained, unexpected death of an infant under a year old that appears healthy (CDC,
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, more common known as SIDS, is a syndrome no one should ever have to deal with. It is the unanswerable death of an infant between the age group one month to one year. It is a very deadly syndrome that is being researched to determine the cause of it. SIDS is devastating for the family and friends of the baby, but there are ways to help them deal with it and explain the different emotions they will be facing. Parents can also take measures to help prevent SIDS from happening to their babies. Doctors are vigorously testing the unexplained death of babies to find out why it happens while helping parents learn to cope with this difficult time.
In class, we discussed Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, an increasing concern for parents and their newborns. Although, there isn’t a pinpoint reason for what causes Sudden Infant Death Syndrome there are several factors that have been shown to increase the risk for it. Research suggests that is it best for a newborn to sleep on their back and without anything else in the crib such comforters, bumper pads or stuffed animals. I was looking through a Pottery Barn Kids catalog and I noticed that in almost every image of a baby’s room it featured a crib, complete with bumpers and a comforter over the side. I think an advertisement like this is rather misleading. It is misleading considering that evidence has shown bedding like this increases the chance
Infant mortality can be defined as the death of a child under the age of one. Infant mortality can be due to an array of factors ranging from accidental deaths to deaths due to harm inflicted on the child. In the United States data has shown that two-thirds of infant deaths occur before the infant is even 28 days old which is called neonatal mortality. One-third of the remaining deaths occur between 28 days and under 1 year old. Neonatal mortality is mainly attributed to causes relating to short gestation and low birth weights. Things such as SIDS, congenital malformations and unintentional injuries are causes that are considered post neonatal.
Fatalities, and Alcohol Consumption." Journal of Law and Economics. 56.2 (2013): 333-369. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.