We've updated our Privacy Policy to make it clearer how we use your personal data. We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. You can read our Cookie Policy here.

Advertisement

Metabolic Profiles Linked to Higher SIDS Risk

Baby feet
Credit: Bongbabyhousevn/ Pixabay
Listen with
Speechify
0:00
Register for free to listen to this article
Thank you. Listen to this article using the player above.

Want to listen to this article for FREE?

Complete the form below to unlock access to ALL audio articles.

Read time: 1 minute

Newborns who had an atypical pattern of metabolites were more than 14 times as likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), compared to infants who had more typical metabolic patterns, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. Metabolites are molecules produced by the body’s various chemical reactions. Researchers found that infants who died of SIDS had a specific pattern of metabolites compared to infants who lived to their first year. The researchers believe that checking for this pattern could provide a way to identify infants at risk for SIDS. The study was conducted by Scott Oltman, M.S., of the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, and colleagues. It appears in JAMA Pediatrics.

Want more breaking news?

Subscribe to Technology Networks’ daily newsletter, delivering breaking science news straight to your inbox every day.

Subscribe for FREE

SIDS is the sudden, unexplained death of an infant younger than 1 year of age that remains unexplained after a complete investigation.​ From more than 2 million infants born in California, researchers compared newborn screening test results of 354 SIDS cases to those of 1,416 infants who survived to at least one year old. The state screens all its newborns for many serious disorders. Test results include checking for metabolites that are markers for disorders and conditions. In the study, infants identified with the highest risk metabolic profile involving eight metabolites were 14.4 times more likely to have SIDS than infants with the lowest risk metabolic profile.


The authors say that testing for metabolic patterns may provide a way to identify infants at risk for SIDS soon after birth, which could inform efforts to reduce SIDS risk. Similarly, research on the biochemical pathways that produce the metabolites linked to SIDS may yield insights into the causes of SIDS and ways to reduce its risk. NIH funding for the study was provided by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).


Reference:

Oltman SP, Rogers EE, Baer RJ, et al. Early newborn
metabolic patterning and sudden infant death syndrome. JAMA Pediatr. 2024.
doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.3033


This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source. Our press release publishing policy can be accessed here.