Could using a fan reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome?[SIZE=-1]
Most parents of young babies know the feeling. You wake suddenly in the middle of the night with a sense of panic, and tiptoe to the crib to make sure your baby is still breathing. Losing a baby to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a very real fear for parents. It happens when a baby under 12 months old dies suddenly while sleeping, for no apparent reason. Although not common (it happens to around 1 in every 2,000 infants), SIDS is still the leading cause of death for babies age 1 month to 1 year.Research shows that simple steps, such as putting a baby to sleep on his or her back, can greatly reduce the risk of SIDS. Now a new study suggests that having a fan on while a baby sleeps might help as well.
Researchers interviewed 185 mothers who had lost babies to SIDS. They asked several questions about the infant's last sleep, including whether a fan was on, if a window was open, what bedding and covers the infant had, what the room temperature was and whether the infant used a pacifier. They also asked 312 mothers of healthy babies the same questions, but about their infant's most recent sleep. The two groups of moms were matched for race, age and the area where they lived.
The study found that 11.7 percent of healthy babies had slept with a fan on, compared with 3.6 percent of babies who had died. After taking into account other things that might have affected the babies' risk of SIDS, researchers found that fan use was associated with a 72 percent drop in risk. Having a window open also seemed to help, but the difference in risk was small and might have been due to chance.
Fans seemed to help most when there was something about the infant's sleep conditions that increased the risk of SIDS: for example, if babies slept on their stomach, or their room was warm (more than 70 degrees).
The researchers don't know why fans might decrease the risk of SIDS, but they think it could have something to do with improved air flow. Some experts believe that air pockets created by sleeping on the stomach or on soft bedding may mean infants "re-breathe" too much carbon dioxide. At present, though, this is only a theory.
The study's findings are compelling, but the research has a few important limitations. This type of study (a case-control study) can't prove that using a fan reduces the risk of SIDS. It can show only that there might be a link. The study was also small, with only 42 infants in total having fans on while they slept. Also, the mothers were interviewed up to 20 months after their infant had died, so they may not have fully recalled the details of their baby's last sleep.
What you need to know. If you have a young baby, you undoubtedly want to do everything you can to keep him or her safe. Using a fan might help reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, but more research needs to be done before we can say for certain. However, studies show the following steps can definitely minimize your baby's risk.
- Place your baby to sleep on his or her back. This is the most important thing you can do. Since the national "Back to Sleep" campaign began promoting this, the rate of SIDS has dropped by more than 50 percent.
- Don't let anyone smoke around your infant. Not smoking during pregnancy also reduces the risk of SIDS.
- Avoid sharing a bed. The safest place for your baby to sleep is in a crib in your bedroom for the first six months. It's especially dangerous to share a bed with your baby if you (or your partner) smoke, have been drinking alcohol, feel very tired, or take a medicine or drugs that make you drowsy.
- Avoid overheating or over-wrapping your baby. SIDS is more likely if a baby gets too hot or is wrapped up in lots of blankets or clothes.
- Avoid soft sleeping places. Babies are more likely to die suddenly if they sleep on something soft, such as a pillow or sofa.
- Consider using a pacifier. SIDS deaths are less common among babies who use a pacifier at bedtime.
- Breastfeed if possible. SIDS is less common among babies who are breastfed. Doctors don't know why this is, but they do know there are plenty of health benefits that come from breastfeeding.
ConsumerReportsHealth.org has partnered with The BMJ Group to monitor the latest medical research and assess the evidence to help you decide which news you should use.
To help prevent the conditions that may lead to SIDS, see our safe sleep tips for babies (free). And read our Treatment Ratings on ways to reduce the risk of SIDS (subscribers only).
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