Incidence of Apnea in Siblings of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Victims Studied at Home
Victims of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) have been shown to have pathologic abnormalities consistent with chronic hypoxia.1-7 Two groups of infants at high risk of dying of SIDS, near miss infants and subsequent siblings of SIDS victims, have been studied in attempts to demonstrate physiologic abnormalities that could account for these pathologic findings. Investigators have found abnormalities in breathing pattern and the respiratory control system in the former consisting of prolonged sleep apnea, excessive short apnea, periodic breathing, hypoventilation, and depressed response to hypercarbia.8-13 However, studies in the SIDS sibling group have demonstrated varying results of excessive periodic breathing in the home14 and decreased apnea in the laboratory.15