Abstract
Among 226 consecutive infant deaths (occurring after the first week), the leading causes were: congenital malformation (62 deaths), sudden infant death syndrome (47), pneumonia (36), gastroenteritis (26), and aspiration of gastric contents (16). In only one-third of the deaths was there a known predisposing organic disease. The study confirms the well-known relation between infant mortality and low birthweight, illegitimacy, poor social conditions, and low standards of parental care. Of particular interest was the finding of a long interval in many of the `cot deaths' between the child last being seen alive and the discovery of the death.
Half the deaths occurred at home, the leading causes of mortality in 103 `cot deaths' being: sudden infant death syndrome (47), pneumonia (25), and aspiration of gastric contents (14). In at least one-third of the deaths from sudden infant death syndrome, there had been an illness in the previous week, usually an upper respiratory tract infection; peak mortality was in the first quarter of the year (January-March) and occurred in the second and third months of life. Many of the infants dying in hospital were very critically ill on admission.
There was a high prevalence of `avoidable factors' in the group of deaths with no known predisposing organic disease, and the case histories suggest that deficiencies in both parental and medical care—often in combination—played an important role in many of the deaths investigated.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Froggatt P., Lynas M. A., MacKenzie G. Epidemiology of sudden unexpected death in infants ('cot death') in Northern Ireland. Br J Prev Soc Med. 1971 Aug;25(3):119–134. doi: 10.1136/jech.25.3.119. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Froggatt P., Lynas M. A., Marshall T. K. Sudden death in babies: epidemiology. Am J Cardiol. 1968 Oct;22(4):457–468. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(68)90152-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- KINCAID J. C. SOCIAL PATHOLOGY OF FOETAL AND INFANT LOSS. Br Med J. 1965 Apr 17;1(5441):1057–1060. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5441.1057. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Selwyn S., Bain A. D. Deaths in childhood due to infection. Br J Prev Soc Med. 1965 Jul;19(3):123–127. doi: 10.1136/jech.19.3.123. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Valdes-Dapena M. A. Sudden and unexpected death in infancy: a review of the world literature 1954-1966. Pediatrics. 1967 Jan;39(1):123–138. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Vaughan D. H. Families experiencing a sudden, unexpected infant death. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1968 Nov;16(5):359–367. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]