| Cot Death Link |
| Sunday, 08 May 2005 | |
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Research undertaken by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology with the Greater Glasgow Health Board’s Public Health Department has found a link between maternal blood levels of Alpha Feto Protein (AFP) in pregnancy and the risk of a baby dying of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or cot death. The research, headed by Professor Gordon Smith, was supported by a grant from the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths. AFP is a protein that circulates in foetal blood. Small quantities cross the placenta and the levels can be measured in the mother. High levels of AFP detected in a pregnant woman’s blood indicate a possible placenta failure. Poor placenta function can lead to low birth weight and premature birth. These in themselves are risk factors for SIDS. High levels of AFP are linked to stillbirths, but this is the first time that anyone has looked for, and found, a link with SIDS. Blood test results for over 200.000 women who gave birth in Scotland between 1991 and 2001 were examined. The risk of having a baby that would go on to die as a cot death was three times higher among women with the top 20% of AFP levels compared with the bottom 20%. |
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