In Australia, researchers have identified a blood biochemical marker that could prove decisive in screening for the risk of this syndrome.
Le sudden infant death syndrome (MSN) claims about 400 small victims (most of the time under 6 months old) per year in France. It has been called unexpected infant death syndrome (UND) since 2009 but the first term remains the most common.
But before focusing on the recent discovery in question, a reminder of its definition by Public Health France: it is all “unexplained death of a child under the age of one, apparently occurring during the sleepand which remains unexplained after post-mortem investigations including a full autopsy and a full review of the circumstances of death and clinical history”.
A high level of a certain enzyme
Thus, a team from Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney has managed to identify a biomarker in infants most at risk of sudden death, and in their lifetime moreover.
Researchers found lower levels of butyrylcholinesterase enzymes in the blood of 60 infant deaths compared to healthy infants or other infant deaths. For the establishment, it is neither more nor less than a “world first” and the head of the study summarized to the Archyde.com agency: “This is the first evidence that babies who succumb to SIDS are different from birth”.
The role of this biological marker
This enzyme is essential in the awakening pathway of the brain and if it is present only in insufficient quantity, the ability of a baby to wake up or to react to its external environment would be thus affected.
Dr. Carmel Harrington, recalls that“Usually, if a baby is faced with a life-threatening situation, such as difficulty breathing during sleep from being on their stomach, they wake up and cry. What our work shows is that some babies don’t have that same robust arousal response.”. She adds : “Now that we know butyrylcholinesterase is involved, we can begin to change the fate of these babies and make SIDS a thing of the past”.
Towards early detection?
Screening for possible risk would be a wonderful option for all parents whose SIDS is a nightmare. However, recognizes the specialist, “We expect the next steps in the research will take between 3 and 5 years. […] But this discovery finally gives answers to parents who have lost their children so tragically. These families can now live knowing that it was not their fault”.