ALLERGY AND THE RISK OF SUDDEN-INFANT-DEATH-SYNDROME

Background and Objective There are several sources that suggest that t here is a link between allergy and sudden infant death syndrome. We en devavoured to look for evidence of an association between allergic dis ease and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Methods A na tionwide case-control study covering a region with 78% of all births i n New Zealand during 1987-90. Interviews were completed with the paren ts of 393 (81.0% of total) infants who died from the sudden infant dea th syndrome (SIDS), and 1592 (88.4% of total) control families who wer e a representative sample of all hospital births in the study region. Results Eczema was reported in 13.9% control infants compared with onl y 8.0% of the SIDS infants, univariate odds ratio for this in terms of risk for SIDS was 0.56 (95% confidence interval 0.37, 0.84) for infan ts with eczema compared with those without. This lesser risk for SIDS was unchanged when adjusted for potential confounding factors. The ris k of SIDS was not associated with reported cow's milk reactions or a f amily history of allergic symptoms once adjustments were made for poss ible confounding factors. Conclusion Infants with skin disorders ident ified by their parents as eczema had a low risk for SIDS. Families can be reassured that atopy is not a risk factor for SIDS.