Inflammation in the lungs of infants dying suddenly. A comparative study from two countries.
An investigation of lung tissue samples from sudden unexpected infant deaths from the German Democratic Republic (G.D.R.) (n = 106) and Finland (n = 94) shows the German material to contain 54 cases (51%) with advanced inflammatory changes allowing a definite pathologico-anatomical diagnosis and explanation for the death, whereas there were only 19 such cases (20%) in the Finnish material. Slight changes indicating an inflammatory process but not allowing a definite diagnosis ("borderline cases") were seen in one fifth of the cases in both countries. Thus a greater proportion of the child deaths below the age of 1 year in Finland are real cot deaths than in the G.D.R. where signs of respiratory infection can be found more often.
Lignitz
E
E
Department of Forensic Medicine, Humboldt University, Berlin, G.D.R.
Hirvonen
J
J
D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005859:Germany, East; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D011015:Pneumonia, Aspiration / Q000473:pathology; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000473:pathology; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology