Study: Overheating a factor in infant deaths

By Jonathan Lynch
CNN Medical Unit

SEATTLE, Washington (CNN) -- The risk of overheating infants, or thermal stress, has been given relatively little attention in the United States, although it is widely stressed in other countries, researchers said Monday. The number of infants dying of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) could be further reduced by educating the public about the dangers of overheating, according to a study in the journal Pediatrics.

"What stimulated our interest was a lack of information in the United States press about thermal stress," said Dr. Warren Guntheroth, with the department of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine, in Seattle. "It's our feeling that this is one of the most important features of prevention aside from the 'Back to Sleep' program."

That program is an educational initiative that's responsible for reducing SIDS deaths by about half. Parents and caregivers are urged to placed all infants to sleep on their backs, rather than their stomachs. Researchers say similar resources should be put into efforts to inform those caring for infants, including nurses, that bundling up a child could be dangerous.

"We reviewed all of the studies done outside of the United States and found the link between thermal stress and SIDS documented around the world," said Guntheroth.

The SIDS Alliance already advises parents and caregivers to be careful to not overheat a baby. Overheating (too much clothing, too heavy bedding and too warm a room) may increase the risk of SIDS, especially if a baby already has a fever, according to the group.

But not all researchers are convinced that more emphasis is needed on the risk of overheating.

"Most of the studies the researchers evaluated come from England, Australia and New Zealand," said Dr. Bradley Thach of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. "Those countries are not as likely to have central heat, or they turn off the heat at night and dress the babies in many layers."

Thach does not think the findings are broadly applicable to the United States, adding that the thermal stress theory still needs to be proven.

"You would think there are more SIDS deaths in the summer," said Guntheroth, "but there are more in the winter and it's because parents have heat in the room and they bundle up the child."

The SIDS Alliance advises caregivers to watch for signs of overheating, which include sweating, damp hair, heat rash, rapid breathing and restlessness.

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Officials seek to reduce SIDS deaths among African-Americans
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Heartbeat defect linked to some sudden infant deaths
June 10, 1998

SIDS Alliance
SIDS Network
American Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Institute
CDC - Infant Death

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