Glossary of SIDS Related Terminology

Apnea
Transient cessation of breathing.
Apnea of Prematurity
Periodic breathing with respiratory pauses longer than 20 seconds in a premature infant of less than 37 weeks' gestation; may be accompanied by changes in color or in muscle tone.
Apparent Life Threatening Event (ALTE)
An episode that is frightening to the observer and is characterized by some combination of apnea, color change, change in muscle tone, and choking or gagging, replacing the term "near-miss" SIDS.
Arrhythmia
Any variation from the normal rhythm of the heartbeat.
Autopsy
See Postmortem.
Botulism
An often fatal poisoning caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Infant deaths from botulism have been misdiagnosed as SIDS.
Bradycardia
Slowing of the heart rate. (See tachycardia)
Brainstem
The base of the human brain, which lies just above the spinal cord and controls breathing and other involuntary activities.
Cardio-Pulmonary Rescusitation (CPR)
A procedure whereby a victim who is not breathing or with no pulse is massaged so that blood flow and oxygen exchange are maintained.
Cause (of SIDS)
A condition or event directly responsible for the death of an individual infant.
Coroner
An officer of the law who holds inquests in regard to violent, sudden, or unexplained deaths. (See medical examiner)
Co-Sleeping
The practice of having an infant sleep in the same bed with its parents. Inconclusive evidence suggests that co-sleeping might provide infants with some protection against SIDS.
Crib Death/Cot Death
Synonyms for SIDS
Diagnosis of Exclusion
SIDS is known as a diagnosis of exclusion because it is reported as the cause of death only as a last resort, when all other causes have been eliminated from consideration.
DPT Vaccine
The vaccine, often given at about two months of age, to innoculate children against diptheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus. Links between this vaccine and SIDS have not been supported by research findings.
Forensic Medicine
The application of medical knowledge to legal issues.
Gastro-Esophageal Reflux
An excessive or pathologic tendency toward the reverse flow of stomach contents into the esophagus and sometimes into the throat, from whence refluxed material can be inhaled into the lungs.
Homeostatic Control Mechanisms
Innate behaviors of an infant to automatically regulate body conditions, such as temperature, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood, or heart rate.
Hypoxia
The condition wherein too little oxygen reaches tissues and organs.
International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9)
A guide for the classification of morbidity and mortality information for statistical purposes published by the World Health Organization.
Medical Examiner
A physician trained specifically in forensic medicine and pathology who conducts death investigations. (See coroner)
Metabolic Disorder
An abnormality of a physical or chemical process underlying vital cellular or organ function.
Monitoring
Using an apparatus to observe and/or record physical signs such as respiration, pulse, and blood pressure.
Near-Miss SIDS
An out-of-date term to describe an Apparent Life Threatening Event.
Pathology
1. The study of disease, its essential nature, cause, and development; and the structural and functional changes it produces. 2. A condition which which might lead to sickness, disability or death. No pathologies have been discovered which are strongly associated with subsequent SIDS deaths.
Petechiae
Pinpoint hemorrhages often found on the surfaces of organs or in the lining of the chest cavity. Petechiae are a characteristic finding in autopsies of SIDS victims.
Postmortem
An examination of the body after death, usually with such dissection as will expose the vital organs for determining the cause of death or the character and extent of changes produced by disease; an autopsy.
Predisposition
A latent susceptibility to disease that may be activated under certain conditions, such as by physiologic stresses.
Prone (Sleep position)
Sleeping on one's stomach. Evidence suggests that prone sleeping increases the risk of SIDS. (See supine)
Risk Factor
A statistically derived rating of how much more common the factor under study is in the population suffering from the disease than in populations without the disease.

Risk factors for SIDS include:

Subsequent SIDS Sibling
A son or daughter born to parents after they have lost an infant to SIDS.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
When an (often) apparently healthy baby suddenly dies, for no apparent reason. SIDS is defined as the death of an infant between the ages of one month and one year which remains unexplained after a thorough postmortem, investigation of the death scene and review of the clinical history.
Supine (Sleep position)
Sleeping on one's back. Evidence suggests that supine sleeping reduces the risk of SIDS. (See prone)
Surviving SIDS Sibling
A son or daughter born to parents before they have lost an infant to SIDS.
Syndrome
A set of signs and symptoms that occur together often enough to constitute a specific condition or entity.
Tachycardia
A more rapid than normal heart rate. (See bradycardia)
This glossary was adapted from the article SIDS: Trying to Understand the Mystery