Scientific hope for protecting infants from cot death syndrome
A new study offers hope to end the tragedy of parents who lose their children as a result of their sudden death during their first year while sleeping.
An Australian study, reported by "sputnikn" in the journal "The Lancet's eBioMedicine", revealed a simple blood test that can be performed, which identifies children at risk of what is known as "cot death", which is the unexpected and unexplained death of a healthy child during his sleep in the first year of his life.
The study team from Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney analyzed 722 blood samples from children participating in a newborn screening program in New South Wales, between 2016 and 2020.
They discovered that 26 of these children died as a result of low levels of the enzyme butyryl cholinesterase, which helps humans wake up from sleep.
The enzyme has been a point of interest, given its role in the body's cholinergic system, a name for various brain functions that regulate things like attention, sleep, and wakefulness.
The scientific team will look at ways to boost the enzyme in children.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Carmel Harrington, confirmed that the next stage will be to make measuring levels of this enzyme a part of routine health checks for newborns.
She said that her scientific discovery makes cases of infant deaths in their sleep "a thing of the past".
All newborns now have routine blood tests, but doctors don't usually look for differences in BCH levels.
Carmel Harrington became a pediatric sleep expert after her young son died just before his second birthday.
About 4 children die from "cot death" a week in Britain, while dozens of children fall victim to this condition every week in America.
Sudden infant death syndrome usually occurs when babies are asleep, but it can sometimes occur when they are awake.
Medical institutions around the world always advise parents to put babies on their backs when they sleep, to reduce the risk of "sleeping in the cot."
Parents are also advised to sleep their newborns in the same room in which they sleep for the first six months to reduce their risk of dying from this syndrome.
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