Postmortem Molecular Analysis of SCN5A Defects in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

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Abstract
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains elusive in its causes and devastating in its consequences. Despite the impressive decline in the incidence of SIDS since the nationwide "Back-to-Sleep" campaigns and the recommendation to avoid the prone sleep position,1-4 SIDS remains a leading cause of death in the first year of life. In 1998, the rate of SIDS was 0.64 per 1000 live births in the United States.5 Thus, SIDS still claims more than 2500 infants each year and accounts for approximately 9% of the more than 28 000 infants who die before reaching their first birthday.5