SIDS Risk Greater in High-Altitude Areas? Oxygen Deficiency Relation Suggested

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A new study has found that there is a greater risk of SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in newborns living in high-altitude areas. The research was conducted by doctors from the University of Colorado Hospital and they recently published it in the journal "Pediatrics," reports Time.

About 3,500 infants under the age of one die of SIDS each year in the United States. SIDS is the leading cause of death in babies between one month to one year old, reports 9 News.

For the study, doctors gathered over 300,000 Colorado birth certificates and infant death registries from 2007 to 2012 and used the babies' maternal residential addresses to assess the link between the altitudes and the occurrence of SIDS.

In addition, some factors were taken into account and ruled out before assessing the effects of altitudes in newborns. These factors include: maternal age and education, infant weight and cigarette smoking.

Special parental practices done to prevent SIDS were also taken into account, like the effects of the Back to Sleep campaign, which advises parents to place newborns on their backs when sleeping.

After considering all these factors, researchers found that infants living in areas above 8,000 feet or more have twice the risk of SIDS compared to those who living 6,000 feet or below.

Researchers at the University of Colorado suggest that the low levels of oxygen in high altitude areas may be responsible for the increased risk of SIDS, according to the New York Times.

The cause of SIDS is still unclear, but it has been linked to a decrease in oxygen for a long time. High altitude areas have thinner air, which means there is less oxygen to breathe, as per Altitude.org.

Despite the results, researchers say parents living in high altitude areas should not consider moving to lower altitude areas.

Dr. David F. Katz, a cardiologist at the University of Colorado and lead author of the study, said: "I'm afraid people will interpret this study as saying high altitudes are dangerous, but this association really begs for further research into why it exists."

Dr. Amber Khanna, who is the senior author in the study, noted: "The overall risk of SIDS is really low, it's less than 1 in 1,000." She advises parents not to panic about the results of this study, but rather to take a preventive stand against SIDS.

"Parents living at altitude should really be vigilant about the basics of SIDS," added Dr. Khanna. Basic preventive methods for SIDS include: following the Back to Sleep campaign, breastfeeding and keeping extra pillows and blankets out of the bed. Smoking mothers are also advised to quit.