Can a Used Mattress Cause SIDS?
FRIDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthScoutNews) — A baby who sleeps on a mattress that was used by another child may be at increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), a Scottish study finds. “Insufficient evidence is available to judge whether this relationship is cause and effect,” say the authors of the study, which appears in tomorrow’s issue of the British Medical Journal. And an American pediatrician says the findings should be viewed with skepticism. However, the researcher who led the study says there’s a strong suspicion that previously used infant mattresses can be breeding grounds for dangerous bacteria. And those germs could contribute to an infection that might be tied to SIDS. “Saliva basically sits in the foam block and builds up,” says Dr. David Tappin, a senior lecturer in pediatrics at the Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow. “We feel that bacteria can remain in the mattress for a long time. And a mattress can provide a good culture medium for other bacteria.” The study
