A major breakthrough in understanding SIDS has been made which could lead to the screening of babies at risk of dying from the mysterious killer.
Educating parents about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) risk factors, such as exposing the baby to cigarette smoke and dangerous sleep positions, has helped reduced the number of children killed by SIDS. But about 40 babies still die each year in NSW.
Now researchers have found “hard core proof” of the theory that SIDS is sleep-related and will attempt to create a way of testing for a baby’s risk of the disease.
A cause could be low levels of a certain brain protein
A group of researchers at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead has found babies who die from SIDS have greatly decreased levels of a certain brain protein which regulates sleep arousal.
They also found the Orexin protein is in low levels in the brains of adults with obstructive sleep apnoea, a condition that causes pauses in breathing while asleep.
Risks of a baby dying from SIDS.
The research group will now work to pinpoint what level of Orexin is ideal for a baby’s brain in the hope of developing a diagnostic tool, such as a blood test, to prevent devastating SIDS deaths.
Children’s Hospital at Westmead sleep unit manager Dr Rita Machaalani told the Daily Telegraph the breakthrough was evidence that SIDS was sleep-related.
“It’s linked that there is a sleep-related issue, which we’ve always known because the babies die in their sleep, but we didn’t know what it was linked to but this protein seems to be a major player in it,” she said.
“If we can determine what’s the normal level in babies when born than we can use those abnormalities to predict kids that might be at risk in the future of SIDS or sleep apnoea.”
Brenda King and son Ryan, 5, who almost died from SIDS at 2 years old. Picture: Jonathan Ng/Daily Telegraph
SIDS and Kids have created an awareness and education campaign to teach parents how to reduce their risk of SIDS such as sleeping babies on the backs and in the same room as parents.
But still babies are dying and the research group wants to help further reduce deaths.
“Parents aren’t doing those (risky) things anymore and yet babies are still dying, why would one baby die and another baby in the same situation not die? There has got to be something underlying that,” Dr Machaalani said.
A baby stopped breathing in his sleep 20 times an hour
Mum Brenda King, 41, has been on a mission to find answers about the mysterious killer after her son Ryan nearly died from SIDS at two-days-old.
Ryan stopped breathing while he was sleeping on his mum’s lap. He was rushed to hospital where he had a number of tests but nothing could determine why he stopped breathing.
As a baby Ryan had more than 20 apnoea’s every hour while sleeping. Now five he is in perfect health.
Brenda King is getting honoured for her SIDS advocacy work with SIDS after raising more than $130,000. Picture: Jonathan Ng/Daily Telegraph.
Brenda said doctors monitored the apnoeas for two years and said they thought he was at a safe age and it may not happen again.
The passionate mother has worked to raise $130,000 through the SIDS Stampeded fun run, to support research for SIDS.
Today, she will receive a Research Australia Advocacy Award to honour her efforts.
“If we can save one baby with our fundraising that is just amazing,” she said.
