Akademik

cot death n chiefly Brit SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME

the sudden unexpected death of an infant less than two years old (peak occurrence between two and six months) from an unidentifiable cause. There appear to be many factors involved, the most important of which is the position in which the baby is laid to sleep: babies who sleep on their fronts (the prone position) have an increased risk. Other factors increasing the risk include parental smoking, overheating with bedding, prematurity, and a history of cot death within the family. About half the affected infants will have had a viral upper respiratory tract infection within the 48 hours preceding their death, many of these being due to the respiratory syncytial virus.