Studies on the potential role of agents in SIDS have been published over the years in a variety of journals and involved specific microorganisms, sleeping position, dysfunction of the central nervous system, damaged arousal reflex cigarette smoking, lower socioeconomic way of life, specific age. Although, there aren't criteria to established specific risk factors. SIDS still remains unexplained in spite of thorough case investigation, including complete autopsy, examination of the death scene and review of the clinical history. Our humble contribution to this problem included 12 sudden death cases in babies from 20 days to 1 year. We may place our cases in the group of unexpected explained death, because the main cause of death in most babies is pneumonia. The histological changes in lungs were microhemorrhages in alveoles and interstitium, congestion, oedema, pulmonary emphysema, atelectases, hemosiderin-laden macrophages, bronchitis and catharral-desquamating pneumonia or catharral hemorrhagic pneumonia, but in two cases there were a purulent pneumonia. In conclusion most authors consider no laboratory or pathological tests to establish a diagnosis of SIDS and no lesions are found at autopsy in most cases. However, as recent reports pointed out, the affected infant would not be perfectly well before death. Most authors pointed the histopathological changes in lungs that we established and pointed above.
Scripta Scientifica Medica 2008; 40(2): 171-174.