SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), previously known as ‘cot death’, was originally defined in 1969. It is the name given to the sudden death of an infant or child which is unexpected by history and in which a thorough post-mortem examination fails to demonstrate an adequate cause of death.
This is another way of saying it is not known why these babies die. In Australia SIDS accounts for the deaths of more babies between the ages of 1 month and 1 year than any known cause. This is because the treatment and prevention of other potentially fatal childhood diseases have become more successful.
The average incidence of SIDS in Australia, as in many other western countries, is now about 1 in 2000 live births — around 120 babies each year. This is a major improvement since 1990, when 1 in 500 babies died of SIDS.
Recent research has shown that the risk of SIDS has been at least halved in many countries by changing some child-care practices. For example, it is now known that tummy sleeping is a risk factor, although it is not possible to identify which babies are at risk, and SIDS still occurs even when all the known risk factors have been reduced.
Although SIDS is most common between the ages of 2 and 4 months, it can happen to younger and older infants. SIDS occurs in both breast-fed and bottle-fed babies, and of those who die, approximately 60% are boys and 40% are girls. Infants have died from SIDS at all times of the day and night, in cots, prams, car seats, bassinets, even in parents’ arms.
Last Reviewed: 01 December 2003
