Doctor Claims To Find The Cause Of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

You may know it as cot death, but in a nutshell Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the unexpected and unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby.

It’s scary, sudden and – up until now – seemingly completely random.

So news of discovering a possible cause is HUGE news. Because if doctors know the cause, they can work towards preventing SIDS occurring so frequently – or at all.

A US doctor, who’s been researching SIDS for over a decade, thinks he’s close to proving that it’s caused by an inner-ear dysfunction.

Dr Daniel Rubens from Seattle Children’s Hospital has a theory that this ear problem means babies affected don’t have a normal reflex when they struggle to breathe. They don’t reposition themselves so they can breathe more easily and subsequently stop breathing.

Rubens noticed that in a previous study, a large amount of babies who died from SIDS all scored poorly on a hearing test in their right ear – a theory that he’s since been testing on mice.

“These babies have inner-ear damage, but they can’t tell you,” Rubens told The Seattle Times. “They are too young to sit up. The baby has got a problem getting air.”

Rubens is the first to admit that more research needs to be done, but if he’s right he hopes to develop a special hearing test that could diagnose the dysfunction just days after birth.

Babies who have the condition will then be closely monitored and hopefully saved from SIDS.

How To Lower Your Baby’s Risk Of SIDS
While there isn’t yet a way to prevent SIDS, there are lots of ways that you can help your baby sleep safely.

From keeping your baby in your room for the first six months of his life to making sure your baby’s cot is a safe environment, read expert tips and advice from baby safe sleep charity The Lullaby Trust here.

[10 Baby Sleep Questions All Parents Ask – And The Expert Answers]

[New Mummy Blog: Am I Ever Going To Sleep Again?]