The headlines announced that the cause of death had been found in the crib.

The reality is more complex

Crib death is every parent's biggest nightmare, and the fact that no cause has yet been found - raises anxiety significantly.

Will the reports of a scientific breakthrough change this reality?

Here are all the details

Walla!

health

15/05/2022

Sunday, 15 May 2022, 14:26 Updated: 14:44

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Crib death is a sudden, unexpected and unexplained death of a baby under one year of age while sleeping.

This is the leading cause of death in infants aged one month to one year (the common age range is 2-4 months), and in Israel about 50 reports of cot deaths are received each year.

While this is a rare phenomenon, the fact that it has no real explanation, makes it a significant source of concern for many parents.

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Yesterday (Saturday) it was reported that researchers from Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney found out why babies die suddenly and unexpectedly.

According to the publication, many in the medical community suspected that cot death was caused due to a defect in the part of the brain that controls sleep and breathing.

The theory was that if the baby stopped breathing during sleep, this defect would prevent him from panicking or waking up.

Australian researchers were able to confirm this theory by analyzing blood samples taken from 655 healthy babies, 26 babies who died from cot death and 41 babies who died from other causes.

The researchers found that the activity of the enzyme butyrylcholinesterase, or BChE, was significantly lower in infants who died from cot death syndrome.

The study was published in the Lancet journal eBioMedicine.

"The mechanism to explain these tragic deaths has not yet been found."

Baby sleeping in a crib (Photo: ShutterStock)

The findings mean that for the first time there is a scientific explanation for why some babies do not wake up when something interferes with their breathing during sleep.

However, it is not clear how effective this biomarker will be in the early detection of infants at risk of cot death.

And this is not the only obstacle of this breakthrough.

"For more than 50 years, the issue of crib death has been investigated from every possible angle, and unfortunately no mechanism has yet been found to explain these tragic deaths, which could happen to any baby who looks completely healthy before and is suddenly found dead in his sleep," explains Dr. Anat Schatz. Atid - The Israeli Association for the Study and Prevention of Sudden Death in Infants, Chairman of the Committee for the Advancement of Health and a member of the board of the International Organization for the Prevention of Crib Death.

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"The findings of this study encourage and give hope for finding a biological marker that may, in the future, identify vulnerable babies, who in certain distress conditions may die suddenly without any explanation and may even treat them and prevent these deaths," said Dr. Schatz. Despite the hope, there are a number of limitations in this study, most notably the size of the small sample: only 26 infants defined as cot deaths were included. "Near birth, compared to control groups. It is also not known what the enzyme levels were at death. Therefore, we will have to wait for a large-scale study and find more significant findings that repeat themselves."

"Studies have already been called groundbreaking in the media"

According to Dr. Schatz, “We are happy about any progress and new direction that has been explored, but we must always be careful.

"In the past, studies that were called groundbreaking media were published, but have not been proven in the end as a response, especially when the results are not unequivocal."

The new study does not obviate the need to observe * all * precautionary rules.

Babies sleeping on the side (Photo: ShutterStock)

It is important to note that experts in crib death research today believe that even in a baby who has a latent defect, such as a deficiency in a particular enzyme as revealed in this study, the defect alone will not cause death except in the presence of distress conditions and critical developmental age.

"Therefore, until the final answer is found to the mechanism that causes death and possibly early diagnosis and treatment that will prevent the phenomenon of cot death, it is important to emphasize that all infant caregivers should continue to take all known precautions to avoid cot death risk factors," Dr. Schatz clarified.

These are the latest recommendations for preventing the sudden death of babies

• Whenever you put your baby to sleep, always make sure to put him to sleep on his back

• Use a stiff mattress, with a well-stretched matching sheet, and a bed or crib with standard features

• Lay the baby to sleep in the crib or in a separate bed in the parent's room, next to the parent's bed until the age of six months and preferably until the age of one

• Do not put a baby to sleep in the parents 'or siblings' bed, on a sofa, chair or armchair alone, or with the parent

• Do not leave a baby to sleep in a car seat, stroller or any other accessory such as a trampoline.

  For sleep - move it to a bed or crib

• It is best to lie down to sleep with a sleeping bag, and if not use a thin blanket that covers from the height of the armpits tucked well under the mattress

• Maintain an empty sleeping environment with soft objects, such as pillows, free bedding and head protectors

• Completely avoid smoking during pregnancy and around the baby

• Avoid overheating the room: The recommended temperature is 22 degrees Celsius

• Avoid dressing the baby in excess clothing.

  The face and head should be left visible

• Try to breastfeed.

  Breastfeeding has been found to be a protective factor against cot death

• During bedtime, offer the baby a clean, dry pacifier (not tied to a string) after the age of one month when breastfeeding is established.

• Do not use a home monitor to prevent crib death

These recommendations for preventing risk factors for cot death are based on the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics AAP.

For more information, visit the Atid website: www.atidbaby.org or call the hotline 02-6666833

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