In his day we were talking about how to reduce the risk of sudden death in the baby, but we would also like to inform you about all the factors that are associated with sudden death syndrome.
Age has a great influence and the highest incidence occurs between two and four months, it is a rare occurrence in children who have not yet reached the first month or after reaching the sixth month, although this does not mean that you can not occur, since the statistics reflect a sporadic minimum between the ages that we have described and it is a very exceptional fact after the first year.
It is more common in children who feed on artificial milk than in those who feed on breast milk. It is also a fact that usually occurs more in families of lower social and economic level.
Sudden death syndrome usually occurs more in boys than in girls in a proportion of 3 to 2 and mainly suffer sudden death during the hours of sleep between 12 midnight and 9 in the morning. Apparently the season also seems to influence, since there are more cases during the cold months than during the rest of the year. The factors that are associated with the child are several, among them are that the child is preterm, that he is infant with gastrointestinal reflux, that sleeps in prone position (face down), an excess of temperature while he sleeps as for example the excess of shelter , the heating too high or the fact of sharing the bed with adults. A low Apgar Test, resembling neonatal anoxia or being a preterm child with pulmonary dysplasia favors the possibility of sudden death.
The mother can also influence depending on her habits or the problems she may suffer during pregnancy. For example, addiction to tobacco or certain drugs remarkably influences sudden death syndrome, also a lack of necessary care and controls during and after pregnancy. Another important fact that has more influence is that the mother is multiparous but with very short intervals between pregnancies.
These are some of the most relevant factors that are associated with sudden death syndrome, in any case, trying to avoid some of them is our task, others may not be possible, but the more we minimize the risks, the more possibilities exist to avoid feared syndrome.
