Blood Enzymes: Possible Cause of Mysterious Newborn Death

Around the world, apparently healthy babies die suddenly in what is known as 'Sudden Infant Death Syndrome' (SIDS). It was not understood for a long time, but now it is known that an enzyme in the blood may be the cause.

Scientists have said that children who die suddenly have a deficiency of an enzyme called butyriccholinesterase (BCHE) in their blood.

We can also call the sudden deaths of these children a baby cot or cradle death. Because children sleeping in wooden frames are found dead in the morning. This research was done by Dr. Carmel Harrington of New South Wales and his colleagues.

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He saw dried blood samples taken by sticking a needle on the heel of newborn babies. Among them were 655 children, out of which 26 died of SIDS. While 41 children died due to other causes.

It was found that the blood of the children who died had lower levels of BCHE, an enzyme that helps the brain wake up. When babies can't breathe with a blanket over their mouth or suffocating their nose, the brain fails to warn them and they die.

Children with low BChE are thought to have a one-and-a-half to two-fold increased risk of sudden death. Although this is preliminary research, further investigation is needed in this area.