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Researchers Find Molecular Link Between SIDS and Rare Heart DisorderNational Center for Education in Maternal and Child HealthJuly 28, 2000 Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) may be linked to a rare heart disorder called long-QT syndrome, according to a study by researchers from Italy published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine and reported by the New York Times. The authors estimate that long-QT syndrome may account for 25% to 30% of SIDS cases and suggest that all infants be given electrocardiograms to screen for the heart condition--a suggestion criticized by American experts as impractical because it result in many infants with ambiguous test results receiving unneeded treatment and also because it would be so expensive. According to the Times article, in 1998 the authors reported the results of a 19-year prospective study of more than 33,034 infants who had electrocardiograms at birth. They found that 50% of the 24 infants who died of SIDS had long-QT syndrome. But the majority of infants with long-QT syndrome remained healthy. No genetic testing was done. At that time, the researchers did not recommend electrocardiograms for all infants, but they did recommend them for infants at high risk because of a family history of SIDS or long-QT syndrome, and for those who had nearly died from a heart or breathing problem resembling SIDS. Now, however, the authors claim that family history cannot be used to identify infants at high risk for heart disorders. They came to this conclusion after studying the case of an infant who nearly died of SIDS and whose electrocardiogram revealed long-QT syndrome, but whose parents did not have the genetic disorder. In this study, the authors suggest that many infants could be saved if those identified by an electrocardiogram as having long-QT syndrome were given preventive treatment against SIDS soon after birth. Grady D. 2000, July 27. Researchers
link SIDS to disorder of the heart. The New York Times on the Web. Available,
after site registration, at Schwartz PJ et al. 2000. Brief report: A molecular link between the sudden infant death syndrome and the long-QT syndrome. The New England Journal of Medicine 343(4):262-267. To subscribe to the MCH Alert,
send an email message to MCHALERT@LIST.NCEMCH.ORG,
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