EPIDEMIOLOGIC FINDINGS IN A GROUP OF INFA NTS DIED OF SIDS

A retrospective study has been carried out and ninety SIDS deaths, occ urred between 1984-1992, were analyzed at SIDS Center of the Universit y of Milan. Data have been obtained from clinical charts or autopsy re cords, or on the basis of interviews with the parents of the babies di ed for SIDS. Sixty eight cases were classified as SIDS after necroscop ic examination, in front of twenty two deaths without any autopsy. The se cases, without post-mortem examination, were classified as SIDS for their typical clinical history. The results of our study appear overl apping the conclusions available from the international literature, pa rticularly about male/female ratio, seasonality, age at death and hour s of day in which SIDS occurs. Furthermore our results show a high inc idence of SIDS in newborns with low birth weight, low gestational age and twin parity.