Stopping SIDS at a Cost: Flat-Headed Babies

Sept. 25, 2009— -- Throughout her pregnancy, Michele Walker-Lewis researched data on vaccines, breast feeding and circumcisions, and even interviewed seven potential pediatricians to find one she could trust.

"You have to collaborate with your doctor, but be informed," said Walker-Lewis of the ever-changing field of medicine and child rearing where advice changes on a dime.

But now the New Jersey mother-to-be, who is "ready to go" and expecting a boy in October, has one more thing to worry about -- whether her son will have a flat head.

Since 1992, when the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended babies sleep on their backs, the number of sudden infant deaths has been cut in half -- but at a price.

New research confirms what doctors have seen in a generation of babies -- that 1 in 40 babies who sleep on their backs will develop a flat head, making them more prone to ear infections and long-term complications such as language disorders and learning disabilities.

The study, published in the September issue of The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, warns about a 49 to 54 percent increase in ear infections in a skull deformity known as deformational or positional plagiocephaly.

"It's been around since the mid-'90s and it's pretty common these days," said Dr. Lisa David, senior researcher on the Wake Forest University Medical Center study.

"It's just one more thing to research and discuss the risks and benefits," said Walker-Lewis, who works in the fashion business. "Circumstances change and risk factors change."

Each year in the United States, more than 4,500 infants die suddenly of no obvious cause. About half of them are attributable to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the leading cause of death among infants 1-12 months old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Doctors still don't know what causes SIDS, but suspect that it may have something to do with abnormalities in the part of the brain that control breathing and waking during sleep, according to First Candle/SIDS Alliance, a health organization committed to infant survival.

These flaws could stem from exposure to toxins or lack of oxygen in the prenatal stage, they say.