How reliable are SIDS rates?

• DOI: 10.1136/adc.2004.062463
• Publication Date: 2008-07-18T16:20:58Z
• Authors: K M Sheehan; C McGarvey; D M Devaney; T Matthews
• Keywords: Male; Incidence; Infant, Newborn; Infant; Sensitivity and Specificity; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Bias; Cause of Death; Infant Mortality; Humans; Female; Ireland; Sudden Infant Death

There is increasing concern with using SIDS as a diagnosis, especially where the postmortem examination reveals additional findings that may be contributory to the death exclusion. This report shows how varying the criteria for a diagnosis of SIDS significantly alters the SIDS rate in Ireland.