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CASE NOTES
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PROGRAMME INFO |
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Dr Mark Porter gives listeners the low-down on what the medical profession does and doesn't know. Each week an expert in the studio tackles a particular topic and there are reports from around the UK on the health of the nation - and the NHS.
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LISTEN AGAIN Ìý30 min |
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PRESENTER |
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"I spend half my week practising medicine and the other half writing and talking about it as a GP in Gloucestershire. Working on Case Notes has been a boon for both me and my patients. One of the principal aims of the programme is to keep our listeners up-to-date with the latest developments in healthcare, and to accomplish that I get to interview a wide range of specialists at the cutting edge of medicine. A rare privilege that ensures our listeners aren't the only ones to learn something new."
Mark Porter
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PROGRAMME DETAILS |
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 Full programme transcript >>
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Six babies die unexpectedly every week in the UK as a result of cot death – or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Doctors struggle to explain these deaths, and in this episode of Case Notes, Dr Mark Porter hears the latest thinking about what their cause could be.
The death toll in the UK from cot death has been slashed in recent years.
This is largely due to the pioneering work of paediatrician Professor Peter Fleming and his team at the University of Bristol and The Bristol Children’s and St Michael’s Hospitals.
Back in the 1990s, doctors all around the world encouraged parents to put their babies to sleep on their backs - and rates of cot death fell dramatically.
It's thought that the Back to Sleep campaign has saved the lives of up to 20,000 children and young people in the UK since it started.
Other risk factors which have been identified are smoking, bed-sharing where one of the parents has been drinking alcohol, taking drugs or is extremely tired, and sleeping with a baby on a soft surface or a sofa.
The peak age of a sudden infant death is around 2 to 4 months and the Foundation for theÌýStudy of Infant Deaths recommends that babies share a bedroom with their parents until they areÌýsix months old.
We hear from one mother in Leeds who wants to make sure she makes the right decisions about sleeping arrangements now that her six-month-old daughter is moving to her own room.
One current theory about cot death which researchers are exploring is the Triple Risk Hypothesis.
This is where a baby could be at increased risk because of a) a pre-existing susceptibility, such as being premature; b) at a vulnerable stage of development and c) some external trigger is present - such as an infection.
Neil Sebire, a paediatric pathologist from Great Ormond Street Hospital, explains what could be happening when these 3 risk factors come together.
Another study in Bradford is analysing whether the cultural practices in the Asian community - where babies have a low risk of cot death - could have a protective effect.
And Sophie Bissmire recounts the devastating experience of losing her baby to cot death.Ìý Her daughter Niamh died 9 years ago when she was just 13 weeks old.
Sophie now works for the FSIDs helpline, offering support to other bereaved parents and advice to new parents as well as medical professionals.
Next week: insects |
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RELATED LINKS
FSID Helpline: helpline@fsid.org.uk - 020 7233 2090
´óÏó´«Ã½ Health: Cot Death
The ´óÏó´«Ã½ is not responsible for the content of external websites
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