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Researchers Find Clue to SIDS Early Detection

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the which-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-other dept.

SpaceAdmiral writes "The Globe and Mail is reporting that scientists have found babies who die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) tend to have an abnormality in their brain stem. By linking SIDS to a biological cause, it may now be possible to test for the abnormality and treat babies at risk of SIDS."

2 of 197 comments (clear)

  1. Treatment? by jvance · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You mean, like not putting the baby in a cage in another room, where it can't queue its own breathing off of its mother's? They don't call it "crib death" for no reason.

  2. Re:No more deformed skulls? by chialea · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The same medical industry drones who wanted us to do prenatal testing for Down's Syndrome (what difference would knowing this beforehand make, other than a stressed-out pregnant woman?)


    There are three reasons (off the top of my head) that one might want to know beforehand:

    1. Termination. You might not terminate a Down's-positive fetus, but some people do, especially if it looks like they're going to die anyway.

    2. Treatment. I have heard that some heart defects (which is one of the largest death-related dangers from Down's) can be treated successfully in-utero, before strain on the heart causes complications or death.

    3. Preparation. I'm not sure that the moments after giving birth would be the time I'd prefer to recieve the news that my new baby had Down's. I'd prefer to research it beforehand, if that was practical.

    - Lea