Targeting Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS): A Strategic Plan

SIDS occurs worldwide. In the United States alone, approximately 3,000 infants die each year from SIDS. The majority of SIDS deaths occur before infants reach 6 months of age. These deaths, although associated with a sleep period, are sudden and unpredictable. In most cases, infants appear healthy before succumbing to SIDS. No explanation for these deaths can be found, even when a complete postmortem is performed, including an autopsy, an examination of the death scene, and a review of the infant’s clinical and family history. In the absence of an identifiable cause of death, these infants’ deaths are, by standard definition, labeled SIDS.
SIDS exacts a devastating emotional toll on affected families and caregivers. In 1974, landmark legislation—the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Act
(P.L. 93-270)—gave the NICHD the statutory responsibility to oversee SIDS research. The Institute’s ultimate goal is to eliminate SIDS. To reach this aim, it is important to understand the underlying causes and mechanisms of the syndrome, to develop strategies to identify infants at high risk for sudden death, and to develop and implement preventive strategies that can effectively reduce the incidence of SIDS across diverse populations.