Second-Trimester Maternal Serum Levels of Alpha-Fetoprotein and the Subsequent Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

This study, based on analyses of large, linked databases of maternal, perinatal, and birth and death records in Scotland, found a significant association between second-trimester maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein levels and the subsequent risk of the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in singleton infants. This relationship was attenuated but remained significant after adjustment for infants' birth weight and gestational age at delivery. This study found a significant association between second-trimester maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein levels and the subsequent risk of the sudden infant death syndrome. The sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is defined as the death of an infant during the first year of life in cases in which all identifiable causes of death can be ruled out by appropriate assessment. Observational studies have highlighted the prone sleeping position and environmental tobacco smoke in the infant's bedroom as factors that are associated with SIDS. 1 Widespread public health campaigns directed at modifying these behaviors have been followed by a sharp reduction in the incidence of SIDS. However, SIDS remains the most important single cause of infant death in the industrialized world. 1 , 2 A number of studies . . .