TY - JOUR

T1 - Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome among Siblings of Children Who Died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Denmark

AU - Glinge, Charlotte

AU - Rossetti, Sára

AU - Oestergaard, Louise Bruun

AU - Stampe, Niels Kjær

AU - Lynge, Thomas Hadberg

AU - Skals, Regitze

AU - Winkel, Bo Gregers

AU - Lodder, Elisabeth M.

AU - Bezzina, Connie R.

AU - Gislason, Gunnar

AU - Banner, Jytte

AU - Behr, Elijah R.

AU - Torp-Pedersen, Christian

AU - Jabbari, Reza

AU - Tfelt-Hansen, Jacob

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Importance: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains a leading cause of death during the first year of life. The etiology of SIDS is complex and remains largely unknown. Objective: To evaluate whether siblings of children who died of SIDS have a higher risk of SIDS compared with the general pediatric population. Design, Setting, and Participants: This register-based cohort study used Danish nationwide registers. Participants were all infants (<1 year) in Denmark between January 1, 1978, and December 31, 2016, including siblings of children who died of SIDS. Siblings were followed up from the index cases' date of SIDS, date of birth, or immigration, whichever came first, and until age 1 year, emigration, developing SIDS, death, or study end. The median (IQR) follow-up was 1 (1-1) year. Data analysis was conducted from January 2017 to October 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures: Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of SIDS were calculated with Poisson regression models relative to the general population. Results: In a population of 2666834 consecutive births (1395199 [52%] male), 1540 infants died of SIDS (median [IQR] age at SIDS, 3 [2-4] months) during a 39-year study period. A total of 2384 younger siblings (cases) to index cases (first sibling with SIDS) were identified. A higher rate of SIDS was observed among siblings compared with the general population, with SIRs of 4.27 (95% CI, 2.13-8.53) after adjustment for sex, age, and calendar year and of 3.50 (95% CI, 1.75-7.01) after further adjustment for mother's age (<29 years vs ≥29 years) and education (high school vs after high school). Conclusions and Relevance: In this nationwide study, having a sibling who died of SIDS was associated with a 4-fold higher risk of SIDS compared with the general population. Shared genetic and/or environmental factors may contribute to the observed clustering of SIDS. The family history of SIDS should be considered when assessing SIDS risk in clinical settings. A multidisciplinary genetic evaluation of families with SIDS could provide additional evidence.

AB - Importance: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains a leading cause of death during the first year of life. The etiology of SIDS is complex and remains largely unknown. Objective: To evaluate whether siblings of children who died of SIDS have a higher risk of SIDS compared with the general pediatric population. Design, Setting, and Participants: This register-based cohort study used Danish nationwide registers. Participants were all infants (<1 year) in Denmark between January 1, 1978, and December 31, 2016, including siblings of children who died of SIDS. Siblings were followed up from the index cases' date of SIDS, date of birth, or immigration, whichever came first, and until age 1 year, emigration, developing SIDS, death, or study end. The median (IQR) follow-up was 1 (1-1) year. Data analysis was conducted from January 2017 to October 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures: Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of SIDS were calculated with Poisson regression models relative to the general population. Results: In a population of 2666834 consecutive births (1395199 [52%] male), 1540 infants died of SIDS (median [IQR] age at SIDS, 3 [2-4] months) during a 39-year study period. A total of 2384 younger siblings (cases) to index cases (first sibling with SIDS) were identified. A higher rate of SIDS was observed among siblings compared with the general population, with SIRs of 4.27 (95% CI, 2.13-8.53) after adjustment for sex, age, and calendar year and of 3.50 (95% CI, 1.75-7.01) after further adjustment for mother's age (<29 years vs ≥29 years) and education (high school vs after high school). Conclusions and Relevance: In this nationwide study, having a sibling who died of SIDS was associated with a 4-fold higher risk of SIDS compared with the general population. Shared genetic and/or environmental factors may contribute to the observed clustering of SIDS. The family history of SIDS should be considered when assessing SIDS risk in clinical settings. A multidisciplinary genetic evaluation of families with SIDS could provide additional evidence.

U2 - 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.52724

DO - 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.52724

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36696110

AN - SCOPUS:85146880130

VL - 6

JO - JAMA network open

JF - JAMA network open

SN - 2574-3805

IS - 1

M1 - E2252724

ER -