Groundbreaking Discovery Reveals Possible Cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

According to the CDC, each year, there are about 3,400 SID-related deaths in the United States, among infants less than 1-year-old.

Pink blue ribbon awareness for newborn birth defect, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Credit: Getty Images
Pink blue ribbon awareness for newborn birth defect, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Credit: Getty Images

After 29 years of research, sleep expert Dr. Carmel Harrington has made a breakthrough discovery that could potentially significantly reduce the rate of infant deaths leading to the prevention of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).

In 1991 Dr. Carmel Harrington, who has a PhD in Sleep Medicine from Sydney University in Australia, tragically lost her two-year-old son Damien to SIDS. Following Damien’s death, she spent the first 29 years of her life dedicated to finding the root cause of the syndrome.

According to the study led by Harrington, a number of biochemical markers could help detect babies who are more at risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) while the child is still alive.

Harrington found that the enzyme known as BChE is what helps babies who are low on oxygen wake up and cry when they are in danger or uncomfortable.

According to the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network, “The study found BChE levels were significantly lower in babies who subsequently died of SIDS compared to living controls and other infant deaths. BChE plays a major role in the brain’s arousal pathway and researchers believe its deficiency likely indicates an arousal deficit, which reduces an infant’s ability to wake or respond to the external environment, causing vulnerability to SIDS.”

According to the CDC, each year, there are about 3,400 SID-related deaths in the United States, among infants less than 1-year-old.