Cot death

Since antiquity, cot death was explained as accidental suffocation, overlaying, or smothering. Parents were blamed for neglect or drunkenness, and a cage called arcuccio was invented around 1570 to protect the sleeping infant. Up to the 19th century, accidents were registered as natural causes of death. From 1830, accidental suffocation became unacceptable for physicians and legislators, and ‘natural’ explanations for the catastrophe were sought, with parents being consoled rather than blamed. Prone sleeping originated in the 1930s and from 1944 was associated with cot death. However, from the 1960s many authors recommended prone sleeping for infants, and many countries adopted the advice. A worldwide epidemic followed, peaking at 2% in England and Wales and 5% in New Zealand in the 1980s. Although epidemiological evidence was available by 1970, the first intervention was initiated in the Netherlands in 1989. Cot death disappeared almost entirely wherever prone sleeping was avoided. This strongly supports the assumption that prone sleeping has the greatest influence on the disorder, and that the epidemic resulted from wrong advice.

The battle with uneven opponent – Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

SIDS is one of the biggest problems of modern medicine. In the diagnosis of SIDS, we take into account all possible diseases that may be the cause of death, as well as factors indicating an accident or murder. The etiology of SIDS is not yet known. There are several pathogenetic concepts, most of which refer to pathophysiological changes associated with nervous system hypoplasia. The most important risk factors include the effects of tobacco smoke, obstetric history, and incorrect sleep position. The role of risk factors in the pathogenesis of SIDS and their interdependence is still the subject of many studies. There are many theories developed on this subject, but none have been supported by scientific research and which is extremely difficult to carry out in this group of newborns. In most cases, medical help finds a newborn already dead, so it is difficult to say what is the main cause or marker of cot death. A considerable success in preventing the onset of sudden infant death syndrome turned out to be educational campaigns for parents - in order to follow up, an information leaflet was prepared with the basic recommendations in the prevention of SIDS. Among the parents of newborn children there are still many controversial opinions about risk factors in the onset of sudden infant death syndrome, the article contains and explains the meaning of individual activities that are considered to predispose to SIDS.

Prevention of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

In the 1980s, sudden infant death syndrome (also known as SIDS or cot death) was one of the most common post-neonatal causes of death in the UK. The dramatic 80% fall in these deaths over the last three decades is a testament to evidence-based research using the observational case–control study and even more impressive given the difficulties in funding studies without a randomized controlled trial design. This chapter will describe the initial breakthrough in the early 1990s, the characteristic profile of SIDS, the associated factors identified, the potential causal mechanisms, and the current risk reduction messages. Most of the risk reduction messages are non-controversial and have been readily accepted by health professionals and parents alike. The divergence of opinion regarding how we give preventative advice surrounding infant bed sharing and the strategies employed is addressed in more detail.