Despite record-low infant mortality in 2020, new study finds unexpected spike in unexplained deaths among black infants in first year of coronavirus pandemic .
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study released Monday showed that the incidence of SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome, will increase from 33.3 per 100,000 babies born in 2019 to 38.2 per 100,000 babies born in 2020, year-on-year. increased by 15% inin a medical journal Pediatrics.
SIDS is a well-known term used when the cause of death cannot be clearly explained. It is not used in cases such as when a child is found to have accidentally suffocated on a pillow cushion.
For data collection, both SIDS and incidents of accidental suffocation or strangulation fall under the umbrella term SUID, or sudden infant death of unknown cause.
SIDS data is not sorted by race or ethnicity, but SUID numbers are sorted. That’s where researchers found an increase in unexplained deaths in black infants, but not in other racial or ethnic groups.
Study author Sharyn Parks Brown, a senior epidemiologist on the CDC’s Perinatal and Infant Health Team, said the finding “was a complete surprise to us. has been consistent for decades, she said.
The reason for the jump is unknown. It could be a statistical anomaly, an unexplained blip in the data, and we’ll have to monitor for a few more years to see if the increase sustains.
It may also reflect adjustments made by the National Association of Medical Examiners in 2019 for the situation of sudden infant death. classified on the death certificate.
According to the guidance, even if a baby is found on or near soft bedding, without evidence that the child’s airway was actually blocked, such a death is insufficient to qualify as accidental asphyxiation. Yes. According to the recommendations, these cases should be classified as SIDS.
“Following the new guidance could lead to more reports of SIDS,” the study’s authors wrote.
Whatever the reason, complex racial disparities clearly persist. Black people have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, both through illness and the economic stress that accompanies the pandemic.
An editorial published alongside the study found that blacks are more than twice as likely as whites to be in poverty.
“And families with children are 50% more likely to be homeless among those who identify as non-Hispanic black,” the authors write.
“How can you get your baby to sleep safely if you don’t have a safe place to sleep,” says editorial co-author Rebecca Carlin, M.D., a pediatrician at Columbia University in New York. ? ”
In addition, smoking rates and preterm birth rates are higher in black communities. Both are risk factors for sudden infant death.
safe sleep habits
In 2021, Parks Brown and her team published a study that found that unsafe bedding was the leading cause of unexpected death in babies under four months of age.
For this age group, soft items such as blankets, pillows, crib bumpers, and stuffed animals should not be placed in the crib when the baby is sleeping or otherwise left unattended. American Academy of PediatricsChildren of that age do not have the strength and motor skills to escape a choking hazard.
of AAP guidelines Very young infants say they need to be put to sleep on their back until their first birthday. You must sleep alone in bed on a firm, flat surface and with fitted sheets only. Sofas and armchairs present a very high choking hazard as babies can become trapped between the seat cushions or under a sleeping adult.
Experts also recommend keeping a baby’s crib in the caregiver’s room for at least six months.
Other ways to reduce the risk of sudden infant death from the AAP:
- breastfeeding, has been shown to reduce the risk of sudden infant death when possible. The AAP also cited evidence that pacifiers given during naps and at bedtime may be beneficial.
- Do not use weighted blankets or sleepers on or near a sleeping baby.
- Make sure the crib is not in use remembered for safety issues.
- Supervised “tummy time” helps strengthen the muscles your baby uses to roll over at some point and escape potential danger. According to the AAP, the practice could begin as soon as the baby is ready to go home from the hospital.
