@@ Possible cause for SIDS found

[pixy0stix]

kdvr.com/news/nationalworld-news/groundbreaking-sids-study-uncovers-possible-cause-of-infant-deaths/

They discovered that the enzyme butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) was lower in the babies who died compared to living infants. The enzyme plays a major role in the brain’s arousal pathway, researchers said, accounting for why SIDS typically occurs during sleep.

“This finding represents the possibility for the identification of infants at risk for SIDS prior to death and opens new avenues for future research into specific interventions,” researchers in the study wrote.

Link to study: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352396422002225

[picksthemusic]

I saw that this morning. If it's really the cause and they can screen for it and treat it - this is huge.

[Jalapeñomel]

I read the article earlier, and I really hope the science holds. Because this would be a game changer.

[sillygoosegirl]

That would be amazing! Especially if it means someday getting treatments that save more babies without just making it more difficult for all babies to... you know... sleep...

(Although this is hardly the first time researchers have thought they found the cause of SIDS, so I'm not gonna hold my breath or anything...)

[pixy0stix]

I also hope the science holds.

TW ----- 2 people in my grief group lost older children (2+) to SUDC (sudden unexplained death in childhood) and... imagine if they could pinpoint why and treat these babies? It makes me want to cry.

[madDawg228]

Imagine all the sleep and less anxiety so many new parents could get if this holds up.

[melmaria]

Thank you for sharing.

[wanderingback]

May 12, 2022 16:36:57 GMT -5 picksthemusic said:

I saw that this morning. If it's really the cause and they can screen for it and treat it - this is huge.

I am certainly not an enzyme deficiency expert, but enzyme deficiencies seem very difficult to treat.

I hope this science moves the needle to better understanding and treatment options for enzyme deficiencies.

[minzy]

Thank you for posting this. I hope it’s able to be used to prevent future deaths and that it is also able to help give parents some peace. SIDS and SUDC are somehow even more horrible with so much unknown.

[sonrisa]

May 12, 2022 17:31:04 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

May 12, 2022 16:36:57 GMT -5 picksthemusic said:

I saw that this morning. If it's really the cause and they can screen for it and treat it - this is huge.

I am certainly not an enzyme deficiency expert, but enzyme deficiencies seem very difficult to treat.

I hope this science moves the needle to better understanding and treatment options for enzyme deficiencies.

Yes.

Or that being able to identify babies at risk could mean targeted sleep interventions that parents could implement. Even if they can't treat the cause, if people could know it's worth doing x or y because those are likely to be important for their kid, that could make all the difference.

[wanderingback]

Here is the specific study, I’m going to read it later. I’ve read some further information from scientists who have analyzed the actual study who are saying it has a lot of flaws and other studies have looked at this enzyme and have found opposite results. So I’m not sure what to think. Journalistic reporting on scientific articles isn’t often great, so that’s why I’m going to try to read the study myself. (I didn’t see it previously linked).

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352396422002225#

[icedcoffee]

I really hope that can start testing and treating. The current method of just implementing impossible to follow "rules" that end up in no sleep and shaming for mothers are madenning.