SIDS: "Toxic Gas Theory"?

[facetguy]

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There was a report out this week that kids dying of SIDS had lower levels of serotonin in their brainstems:
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/303/5/430

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/health/research/09risk.html

This new information aside, is anyone familiar with the "toxic gas theory" of SIDS? Apparently, this idea began in New Zealand and led to the recommendation to wrap infant mattresses with plastic. From what I gather, saliva from the sleeping child promotes the growth of a fungus which, in the presence of flame ******ants in the mattress, produces a 'toxic gas' which the child breathes and dies. The plastic wrap supposedly blocks the mingling of the fungus and flame ******ants. Adding to this theory was a study a couple years ago which found that a fan blowing on the infant reduces SIDS; the notion is that the fan disperses the 'toxic gas':
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...med_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=3

Anyone hear of this?

 

[loveoforganic]

I would think a toxic gas theory would be pretty easily verifiable/refutable with some benchtop research.

Baby saliva in mattress - fungus?

Fungus + fire ******ants - gas?

 

[WhatUpDoc!]

I would think a toxic gas theory would be pretty easily verifiable/refutable with some benchtop research.

Baby saliva in mattress - fungus?

Fungus + fire ******ants - gas?

Furthermore, why would some babies be more susceptible to this "toxic gas" while others grow up to be happy, healthy children?

The thing that seems to be lacking in all these theories on the etiology of SIDS (vaccines, supine sleeping, low serotonin) is a unifying concept that ties all of the unexpected deaths together. I personally think there is a genetic basis for SIDS that has yet to be elucidated, but then again, there is a genetic basis to just about anything so go figure!

 

[generic]

This kind of reminds me of the toxic mold theory that has been pulled in to explain all sorts of illnesses--chronic fatigue, chronic MRSA skin infections, sinusitis, etc. Maybe because I live in Hurricane alley, where there really is mold in some peoples' houses, I feel like I hear this brought up at least 1x per month...

It sounds very appealing, but as the previous poster mentioned, we should be able to score about 100 used mattresses in record time to test them for the offending fungus amungus and see...

I think SIDS is quite heterogeneous and multifactorial (like autistic spectrum disorders), and we'll probably need to subdivide and categorize to conquer it.

Isn't another explanation for the "fan blowing on baby" risk mitigation something like stimulation of breathing center and removal of pockets of CO2 that might cause apnea?

 

[facetguy]

This kind of reminds me of the toxic mold theory that has been pulled in to explain all sorts of illnesses--chronic fatigue, chronic MRSA skin infections, sinusitis, etc. Maybe because I live in Hurricane alley, where there really is mold in some peoples' houses, I feel like I hear this brought up at least 1x per month...

It sounds very appealing, but as the previous poster mentioned, we should be able to score about 100 used mattresses in record time to test them for the offending fungus amungus and see...

I think SIDS is quite heterogeneous and multifactorial (like autistic spectrum disorders), and we'll probably need to subdivide and categorize to conquer it.

Isn't another explanation for the "fan blowing on baby" risk mitigation something like stimulation of breathing center and removal of pockets of CO2 that might cause apnea?

I think this is what the 'fan blowing' study authors suggested as the reason for their findings. The 'Toxic Gas' folks saw it a different way.

 

[edmadison]

I think this is what the 'fan blowing' study authors suggested as the reason for their findings. The 'Toxic Gas' folks saw it a different way.

If there as even a shred of evidence for this theory, the trial lawyers would be on it like a pit bull on on steak.

Ed