Sudden infant death syndrome (crib death; sudden infant death syndrome; sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS); ICD-10 R95) describes the unexpected death of apparently healthy infants that is unexpected based on medical history.
In approximately 90% of cases, infants die while sleeping at night, often in the early morning hours. An adequate cause of death cannot be found even by autopsy.
Sex ratio: boys are more commonly affected than girls.
Frequency peak: Sudden infant death syndrome occurs predominantly between the 2nd and 4th month of life. 80% of cases occur before the 6th month of life.
SIDS is the most common cause of death in the first year of life in Germany. The risk of sudden infant death syndrome is reported to be 0.04%. About two-thirds of cases occur in the winter months.
The incidence (frequency of new cases) is approximately 0.37 cases per 1,000 live births per year (in Germany).
Parents of infants should be educated about the risk factors (see “Prevention”) to avoid them and thus reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
