A new study may have solved the medical mystery of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which causes more than 1,000 infant deaths per year in the United States.
The study, published this week in the medical journal eBioMedicine, found that babies who died of SIDS had lower levels of the enzyme known as Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE).
The findings are hailed as breakthroughs as they may provide intervention to prevent untimely infant deaths.
Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE)
The Australian researchers have now identified a biochemical marker in the blood that could help identify newborn babies at risk of SIDS. They revealed that the BChE levels at birth were significantly lower in babies who later died of SIDS than infants who died of other causes. Babies who lived also had higher BChE.
BChE is a previously unidentified enzyme that is thought to be involved in the brain pathways that drive a person to take a breath, ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton and a board-certified OB-GYN said.
The study measured BChE activity in the blood of infants drawn at birth. It then calculated the BChE in both SIDS victims and infants dying from other causes and compared those levels to surviving babies with the same birthday and gender.
BChE plays a significant role in the arousal of the brain's pathway. Researchers believed that low levels of BChE reduce the baby's ability to wake up or respond to their environment, causing vulnerability to SIDS.
The finding is promising as it would mean a target for intervention, Ashton announced on Friday on Good Morning America. If babies are screened and are found to have a low enzyme level, medical professionals could help improve the condition. There is no current method for knowing an infant's risk for SIDS. Most often, deaths in infants occur while the baby is asleep.
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Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
SIDS is the unexplained death of a seemingly healthy, less than-year-old baby. It is known as crib death, as infants often die in their cribs. In 2019, there were about 1,250 deaths due to SIDS. Around 1,180 deaths are due to unknown causes, and about 960 deaths are caused by accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed.
The risk of SIDS prompted medical experts and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to advise parents and caregivers to let infants sleep on their backs and practice room-sharing without bed-sharing. It is also recommended to avoid any soft objects or beddings in the baby's sleep area and use only firm sleep surfaces such as a crib, bassinet, or pack and play.
The study's lead researcher, Dr. Carmel Harrington, lost her child to SIDS 29 years ago.
She said that the study was game-changing. It opened up the possibility of providing intervention, and it finally gave answers to parents who lost their children tragically. The families can now be assured that the baby's untimely death is not their fault, KTTC reports.
