One such disorder is medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, which prevents the baby from properly processing fatty acids. A build up of these acid metabolites could eventually lead to a rapid and fatal interruption in breathing and heart functioning. If there is a family history of this disorder or childhood death of unknown cause, genetic screening of the parents by a blood test can determine if they are carriers of this disorder. If one or both parents is found to be a carrier, the baby can be tested soon after birth. About 5,000 babies in the United States die of SIDS each year.
Some babies are more at risk than others.
For example, SIDS is more likely when a baby is between 1 and 4 months old, it is more common in boys than girls, and most deaths occur during the fall, winter, and early spring months. The risk of SIDS is higher for babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy. Studies have shown that placing babies on their backs to sleep has reduced the number of SIDS cases by as much as a half in countries where babies had traditionally slept on their stomachs. Although babies placed on their sides to sleep have a lower risk of SIDS than those placed on their stomachs, the back sleep position is the best position for babies from 1 month to 1 year. Babies positioned on their sides to sleep should be placed with their lower arm forward to help prevent them from rolling onto their stomachs.