Racial differences within subsets of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) with an emphasis on asphyxia.

J Forensic Leg Med

Department of Pediatrics, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, 812 Covel Ave, Sioux Falls, SD, 57104, USA.

Published: February 2019

Objective: Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID) is defined as a combination of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Unknown Cause of Death (UCD) and Accidental Suffocation and Strangulation in Bed (ASSB). Overall rates from 2000 to 2015 have been trending down. Racial differences in occurrence are seen.

Study Design And Setting: Using the CDC Wonder Database, the total rates of SUID and its subsets were examined.

Results: Non-Caucasian infant death rates for the total SUID group, and the SIDS component, are trending downward significantly faster than for Caucasians. UCD trends in rates show an apparent small, non-significant, decline for non-Caucasians, and are unchanged for Caucasians. ASSB rates are trending upward slightly more rapidly (not significantly) for non-Caucasians than Caucasians.

Conclusion: The trend showing ASSB trending upward more in non-Caucasians than Caucasians may suggest: 1) A racial difference that certifiers are more willing to certify SIDS than ASSB in Caucasians, and/or 2) Certifiers are biased towards certifying more ASSB than SIDS in non-Caucasians, and/or 3) Asphyxia risks may be increasing more in non-Caucasian SUIDs. Option #1 would require educational efforts to recognize the asphyxia risks in Caucasians. Option #2 would require documentation of racial bias in infant death certification followed by efforts to reduce the bias. Option #3 would require focused targeting of non-Caucasian populations to reduce asphyxia risks. Potentially all three scenarios could co-exist.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2019.01.003DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

infant death
16
asphyxia risks
12
option require
12
racial differences
8
sudden unexpected
8
unexpected infant
8
assb rates
8
trending upward
8
infant
5
death
5

Similar Publications

Background: Congenital neutropenia is a primary immunodeficiency characterized by quantitative anomalies in neutrophil counts. It is classified as mild, moderate, or severe. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation stands as a potential therapeutic intervention; nevertheless, graft-versus-host disease emerges as a main complication.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Most deaths among children under 5 years occur within the first 24 hours of hospital admission from preventable causes such as diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria, and HIV/AIDS. The predictors of these deaths are not yet well documented in our setting. This study aimed to describe the patterns and predictors of these mortalities among children aged 1-59 months at a regional hospital in South Western Uganda.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Navigating Variants of Uncertain Significance in Sudden Infant Deaths: A Case Report of 2 Siblings With an SCN10A VUS.

Am J Forensic Med Pathol

January 2025

Office of the Medical Examiner-Davidson and Williamson Counties, Nashville, TN /Forensic Medical Management Services, LLC.

The sudden death of a previously healthy infant is a devastating event for a family-the death of 2 even more unimaginable. Prior to the debunking of Meadow's law, a legal concept attributing multiple unexplained infant deaths to Munchausen by proxy, these events could lead to the wrongful prosecution of those who had lost their children to "sudden unexpected infant death (SUID)." Today, these cases, wherein multiple infants within one family pass inexplicably, raise suspicion for a possible genetic cause and point toward a need for postmortem genetic testing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Unlabelled: Knowledge about trends and epidemiology of pediatric burns is useful to identify patterns, to advance medical research, and to design prevention programs and resource allocation. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiology and trends of pediatric burns between 2009 and 2022 in the three Dutch burn centers. A secondary objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the pattern of pediatric burns.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Therapeutic hypothermia in preterm infants under 36 weeks: Case series on outcomes and brain MRI findings.

Eur J Pediatr

January 2025

Neonatology Department. Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Center for Maternal Fetal and Neonatal Medicine. Neonatal Brain Group, Universitat de Barcelona. Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona. BCNatal - Barcelona, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.

Purpose: Perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a significant cause of neonatal brain injury. Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is the standard treatment for term neonates, but its safety and efficacy in neonates < 36 weeks gestational age (GA) remains unclear. This case series aimed to evaluate the outcomes of preterm infants with HIE treated with TH.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!