Bamber, AR;
Paine, SML;
Ridout, DA;
Pryce, JW;
Jacques, TS;
Sebire, NJ;
(2016)
Brain weight in sudden unexpected death in infancy: experience from a large single centre cohort.
Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology
, 42
(4)
pp. 344-351.
10.1111/nan.12251.
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Abstract
Aims Published reports of brain weight in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) are contradictory, though several have concluded that brain weight is increased in SIDS compared to controls or reference data. This is important since, if brain weight is significantly different, it may be of diagnostic use or provide insights into the aetiology of SIDS. The aim of this study is to use a large series of well-characterised sudden unexpected infant deaths from a single centre to provide definitive data regarding this issue. Methods A retrospective review identified 1,100 infants who had died suddenly and undergone a comprehensive autopsy at Great Ormond Street Hospital between 1996 and 2011. They were split into two groups: those in whom death could be explained and those whose deaths remained unexplained despite full investigation (SIDS / unexplained SUDI). Results There were 1,100 cases of whom 573 (52%) were unexplained and 527 (48%) explained. Multiple regression analysis, which adjusted for sex, age and post-mortem interval, showed no difference in the ratio of brain weight:body weight between those infants dying of explained causes and those in whom no cause could be found. This finding remained true when restricting analysis to those with macroscopically normal brains. Conclusions In this large series of infants dying of both explained and unexplained causes, brain weight, once corrected for body weight, did not vary consistently with the cause of death. Brain weight cannot be used as a diagnostic indicator of the cause of death or to inform hypothetical models of the pathogenesis of SIDS.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Brain weight in sudden unexpected death in infancy: experience from a large single centre cohort |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1111/nan.12251 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nan.12251 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2015 British Neuropathological Society This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Bamber, AR; Paine, SML; Ridout, DA; Pryce, JW; Jacques, TS; Sebire, NJ; (2016) Brain weight in sudden unexpected death in infancy: experience from a large single centre cohort. Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology , 42 (4) pp. 344-351, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nan.12251. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. |
| Keywords: | Brain weight; Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Developmental Biology and Cancer Dept UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Population, Policy and Practice Dept |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1469426 |
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