Sudden Infant Death Mystery

Sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, is the sudden death of a baby younger than 1 year that remains unexplained even after an autopsy, a death-scene investigation, and a review of the clinical history. It has accounted for a large share of post-neonatal deaths in Western countries, and modern public health agencies still classify it as a diagnosis of exclusion rather than a solved disease. Researchers have identified risk factors and likely biological vulnerabilities, but the exact cause is still unknown.

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