Mystery of unexplained deaths in toddlers finds a new study
Written By : Niveditha Subramani
Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli
Published On 2024-01-08 14:30 GMT | Update On 2024-01-09 10:10 GMT
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Toddlers are more than difficult to understand as they are unable to convey what they want to or tell how they feel. More than 2,900 US children aged younger than 4 years die from unknown causes each year, accounting for more than 219,000 life years lost annually. They are mostly sleep-related and unwitnessed with unremarkable autopsies, limiting our understanding of death mechanisms. Researchers sought to understand potential mechanisms of death by evaluating videos of sudden deaths in toddlers.
A new study in Neurology journal reveals a ground breaking cause for unexpected toddler death. Brief seizures accompanied by muscle convulsions have been named as a possible reason for the mysterious and tragic deaths — a tragic loss suffered by thousands of families in the United States each year.
Researchers used the registry of 301 sudden unexplained child deaths, a series of 7 consecutively enrolled cases with home video recordings of the child's last sleep period were independently assessed by 8 physicians for video quality, movement, and sound.
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