Sudden unexpected death in infancy in Denmark.
BACKGROUND
Incidence of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) differs among studies and non-autopsied cases are difficult to assess.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate causes of sudden death in infancy in a nationwide setting. Validate the use of the ICD-10 code for SIDS (R95) in the Danish Cause of Death registry.


METHODS
A retrospective analysis of all infant deaths (< 1 year of age) in Denmark in 2000-2006. All death certificates and autopsy reports were read.


RESULTS
We identified 192 SUDI cases (10% of total deaths, 0.42 per 1000 births) with autopsy performed in 87% of cases. In total, 49% of autopsied SUDI cases were defined as SIDS (5% of all deaths, 0.22 per 1000 births); Cardiac cause of death was denoted in 24% of cases. The Danish Cause of Death Registry misclassified 30% of SIDS cases.


CONCLUSIONS
A large proportion of infant deaths are SUDI, and the majority of these are caused by cardiac disease or SIDS. Autopsy is not always performed and valuable information is subsequently lost. Cause of Death registry data is not accurate in describing SIDS.
The Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmia (DARC), Copenhagen, Denmark. bowinkel@dadlnet.dk
Bo Gregers
BG
Winkel
Anders Gaarsdal
AG
Holst
Juliane
J
Theilade
Ingrid Bayer
IB
Kristensen
Jørgen Lange
JL
Thomsen
Steen Holger
SH
Hansen
Jesper Hastrup
JH
Svendsen
Stig
S
Haunsø
Jacob
J
Tfelt-Hansen
D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D003644:Death Certificates; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D008297:Male; D011996:Records; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*