Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Among Siblings of Children Who Died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Denmark

Abstract

ImportanceSudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains a leading cause of death during the first year of life. The etiology of SIDS is complex and remains largely unknown.ObjectiveTo evaluate whether siblings of children who died of SIDS have a higher risk of SIDS compared with the general pediatric population.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis register-based cohort study used Danish nationwide registers. Participants were all infants (<1 year) in Denmark between January 1, 1978, and December 31, 2016, including siblings of children who died of SIDS. Siblings were followed up from the index cases’ date of SIDS, date of birth, or immigration, whichever came first, and until age 1 year, emigration, developing SIDS, death, or study end. The median (IQR) follow-up was 1 (1-1) year. Data analysis was conducted from January 2017 to October 2022.Main Outcomes and MeasuresStandardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of SIDS were calculated with Poisson regression models relative to the general population.ResultsIn a population of 2 666 834 consecutive births (1 395 199 [52%] male), 1540 infants died of SIDS (median [IQR] age at SIDS, 3 [2-4] months) during a 39-year study period. A total of 2384 younger siblings (cases) to index cases (first sibling with SIDS) were identified. A higher rate of SIDS was observed among siblings compared with the general population, with SIRs of 4.27 (95% CI, 2.13-8.53) after adjustment for sex, age, and calendar year and of 3.50 (95% CI, 1.75-7.01) after further adjustment for mother’s age (<29 years vs ≥29 years) and education (high school vs after high school).Conclusions and RelevanceIn this nationwide study, having a sibling who died of SIDS was associated with a 4-fold higher risk of SIDS compared with the general population. Shared genetic and/or environmental factors may contribute to the observed clustering of SIDS. The family history of SIDS should be considered when assessing SIDS risk in clinical settings. A multidisciplinary genetic evaluation of families with SIDS could provide additional evidence.

Sudden cardiac arrest in infants and children: proposal for a diagnostic workup to identify the etiology. An 18-year multicenter evaluation in the Netherlands

“…However, the etiology remained unresolved for infant cases in 70% (51/73), as was recognized in the only prior SCD cohort including infants which described 90% of SUDI [ 25 ]. Of the remaining resolved infant cases, 40% (9/22) had a potential inherited cardiac condition, supporting previous studies reporting causative cardiogenetic factors in up to 10% of SUDI cases [ 10 – 12 , 26 ]. In the existing literature on pediatric OHCA, infants form the largest population and have the highest unresolved SCD rate underlining the importance of their inclusion in pediatric SCA studies [ 3 , 4 ].…”

How general is the natural frequency effect? The case of joint probabilities

“…The red numbers show the situation that was wrongly assumed in court first, while the green numbers show the actual situation. The probability that the 2 nd child dies of SIDS (S 2 ), if the 1 st child already died of SIDS (S 1 ), is 4.3 times as likely as the probability that the 1 st child dies of SIDS ( Glinge et al, 2023 ). In the case of Sally Clark, this would result in a probability of ⋅ = ≈ 0.000006%.…”

“…Consequently, the chance for two children suffering from SIDS was calculated as ⋅ (≈0.0000014%), whereupon she was convicted of being a murderer. However, a second SIDS is more probable given a first one already happened ( Glinge et al, 2023 ). As soon as this was stated clearly, Clark was released from prison (after three years of her sentence); nevertheless, her life had been destroyed ( Colmez and Schneps, 2013 ).…”

Medizinisch klinische Diagnostik bei Schimmelpilzexposition in Innenräumen – Update 2023 (AWMF-Register-Nr. 161/001)

“…B. Schlafen in Bauchlage, Rauchexposition, Luftschadstoffe wie CO und NOx), eine kritische Entwicklungsphase (normalerweise Alter von 2-4 Monaten) und eine zugrunde liegende Anfälligkeit, wie z. B. eine genetische Disposition [603,604]. Bis heute ist es nicht möglich, Säuglinge mit einem SIDS-Risiko vorherzusagen.…”