SIDS is the unexplained death of a healthy infant under one year of age during sleep. In India, as per 2019 statistics, 32 infant deaths per 1000 live births. In 2019, the US sudden unexpected infant mortality rate was 90.1 deaths per 100,000 live births. SIDS is one of the leading causes of sudden unexpected infant death in the US, although its rate has declined from 130.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 33.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2019, according to a report by the US CDC. Is.
Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) has been identified by researchers as a biochemical marker that may help prevent death in infants.
What is SIDS?
SIDS is sudden infant death syndrome. It is one of the leading causes of death in newborns. It is also known as ‘cot death’. Children who die of SIDS appear to be healthy before bedtime. These children show no signs of conflict.
Who are at higher risk of SIDS?
Babies between the ages of 1 to 4 months have a higher risk of dying from SIDS. According to reports, more than 80% of SIDS-related deaths occur before babies reach the age of six months.
SIDS: What does the study say?
In the study, published in The Lancet’s Biomedicine, the team analyzed BChE activity in 722 dried blood spots (DBS) taken at birth as part of a newborn screening program. BChE was measured in both infants who died of SIDS and other causes and each was compared to 10 surviving infants with the same date of birth and sex.
What is the role of BCHE?
BChE plays a major role in the brain’s arousal pathway and researchers believe that its deficiency likely indicates a lack of stimulation, which impairs an infant’s ability to wake up or respond to the external environment. Which makes you vulnerable to SIDS. Lead author Dr Harrington said the findings showed that BChE levels were significantly lower in children who died of SIDS later than in surviving controls and other infant deaths.
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Dr. Harrington explains the role of BChE in SIDS
“Babies have a very powerful mechanism that can tell us when they’re not happy. Typically, if a baby faces a life-threatening condition, such as difficulty breathing during sleep because they When on their stomachs, they will get excited and cry. This research suggests that some babies do not have the same intense stimulus response,” Dr. Harrington said.
“This has long been thought to be the case, but until now we didn’t know what was causing the lack of stimulation. Now that we know that BChE is involved we can begin to change the outcome for these children and SIDS.” can make one. The last thing.”
Can SIDS be prevented?
The US CDC recommends parents and caregivers place a baby’s sleeping cot in the same room where they sleep. It suggests parents to sleep in the same room with the baby till the child turns 6 months old.
With this research study, the next step for researchers is to begin introducing BChE biomarkers into newborn screening and to develop specific interventions to address enzyme deficiencies.