Gautam Dagur, Kelly Warren, Reese Imhof, Nicole Imhof, Robert Wasnick and Sardar A Khan
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is defined as the sudden, unexplained death of an infant younger than one year old. Deaths that remain unexplained even after thorough investigation, autopsy, and clinical history are classified as SIDS. Since the implementation of the “Back to Sleep” campaign in 1994, deaths related to SIDS have significantly decreased by more than 50% in the United States. There are a vast number of etiological factors related to SIDS. Here we address a few and elaborate on two critical factors that we feel should be further studied. Pathogenesis of SIDS is unclear, but we describe the different prevalent theories to explain the onset of SIDS, including triple-risk model, genetic factors, and arousal response of infants. Mothers and family members should be aware of the prevention methods for SIDS. This review is beneficial to all medical practitioners as well as mothers and family members with a newborn.