Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (also known as crib death or cot death) is the leading cause of death for Canadian infants between 28 days and one year of age.

SIDS refers to the sudden and unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after all known and possible causes have been ruled out through autopsy, death scene investigation and review of the medical history.

These articles examine current rates and temporal trends in infant mortality attributed to SIDS in Canada and compares Canada's SIDS rate to rates in other developed countries. It also highlights the epidemiology of SIDS, prevention efforts and limitations of the SIDS data.

Assigning SIDS as a cause of death is the responsibility of the local medical examiner. The provincial/territorial vital registrars offices collect, code and submit this information to Statistics Canada.

Unless referenced otherwise, SIDS statistics are taken from the Canadian Vital Statistics System, Statistics Canada.

Definitions of Key Terms

The infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births. The neonatal period extends from birth through day 27. The post-neonatal period extends from day 28 through day 364. SIDS Rates In 1996, there were 2,051 reported infant deaths in Canada. Of these deaths, 168 (8.2%) were attributed to SIDS.

Since 1980, the overall rate of SIDS deaths in Canada has been steadily declining from 1.2 per 1,000 live births in 1980 to 0.5 per 1,000 live births in 1996 SIDS Rates Canada, 1980-1996 Source: Statistics Canada. Mortality: summary list of causes, 1980-1995. Statistics Canada. Canadian Vital Statistics System, 1996.

In 1996, SIDS was the leading cause of post-neonatal mortality in Canada, accounting for 26% of all post-neonatal deaths. Birth defects, the second leading cause, accounted for 23% of post-neonatal deaths. As both the post-neonatal mortality rate and the SIDS rate have declined, the proportion of post-neonatal mortality attributed to SIDS has remained steady since 1980

In comparison to other developed countries, the 1996 Canadian SIDS rate of 0.5 per 1,000 live births is lower than the rate in Australia (0.9 per 1,000 live births), USA (0.8 per 1,000 live births) and England/Wales (0.7 per 1,000 live births). However, the Canadian rate remains higher than rates reported in Japan (0.4 per 1,000 live births) and the Netherlands (0.3 per 1,000 live births)

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