Researchers in Australia have released a study pinpointing what they say is the reason infants die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
According to Biospace, the study by researchers from The Children's Hospital in Westmead in Sydney, Australia, reportedly confirmed how and why children die from SIDS.
Researchers were able to confirm what many medical experts believed was the cause of SIDS, which occurs when infants suddenly die in their sleep. The belief was that SIDS was caused by a defect in the brain part controlling arousal from sleeping and breathing, Biospace reported. So, if an infant stopped breathing while they were asleep, the brain defect would prevent the infant from waking up.
This theory was backed up by Australian researchers by inspecting dried blood samples from infants who died from SIDS and other unknown causes, Biospace reported. That blood sample was then compared to blood from healthy infants.
They found that the activity of a specific enzyme playing a role in brain arousal was active at a lower rate in infants who had died from SIDS compared to living babies and those who died from a non-SIDS-related cause.
Parents were previously told SIDS could be avoided if they took precautions like laying babies on their backs and keeping toys and blankets out of the crib, Biospace reported.
Read the full report from Biospace here.
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