SIDS linked to early atherosclerosis

By Matias A. Loewy

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters Health) - Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) appears to be associated with the early stages of arterial plaque build-up seen in atherosclerosis, sometimes referred to as "hardening of the arteries, according to a study presented on Sunday at the Argentine Congress of Cardiology. However, the mechanism of this association is unclear, the researchers said.

Dr. Jose Milei and colleagues, at the University of Buenos Aires Cardiological Research Institute, analyzed autopsy samples of 52 SIDS victims and 16 babies who had died of unrelated causes, such as meningitis or trauma.

The investigators found signs of early arterial plaque in 44.2 percent of the SIDS group, versus only the 6.3 percent in the control babies.

The stages of coronary plaque build-up ranged from thickening of the inside of the arteries to narrowing of the artery by 50 percent. Most alterations were found in left front descending coronary artery and involved mainly smooth muscle cells.

Some of the early-stage plaques might eventually have evolved to adult atherosclerotic plaques, Milei said, whereas others might have regressed or stabilized.

"You cannot say that atherosclerosis causes SIDS. But perhaps there are common pathogenic factors, such as (passive) smoking and environmental pollution," he told Reuters Health.

In a previous work, Milei and colleagues had shown an association between maternal smoking and pre-atherosclerotic tissue formation in the coronary arteries of the fetus.

"Now, the link between SIDS and infant atherosclerosis deserves further research," he added.