Is enough research being conducted to determine the cause of SIDS?
Scientists are exploring the development and function of the nervous system, the brain, the heart, breathing and sleep patterns, body chemical balances, autopsy findings and environmental factors. SIDS, like other medical disorders, may eventually have more than one explanation – and more than one means of prevention. This may explain why the characteristics of SIDS babies seem so varied. SIDS has been a high priority for research for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Although SIDS deaths are decreasing, it is important that NICHD continue to support research aimed at uncovering what causes SIDS, who is at risk for the disorder, and ways to lower the risk of sudden infant death. In addition to its grassroots advocacy program which helps ensure Congressional allocation of adequate funding for NICHD-sponsored SIDS research, the SIDS Alliance maintains its own national research program. The importance of unders
