A new study suggests that infants who are living in high altitudes such as mountains are at greater risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) than those who live in lower altitudes.
The study was conducted by doctors from the University of Colorado Hospital and they discovered that babies who live at 8,000 feet or above are more likely to suffer from SIDS.
"We found about two-times increased risk of SIDS at the very high altitudes compared to people who live in Denver and lower," Dr. Amber Khanna, a researcher on the project and a pediatric doctor at University of Colorado Hospital told 9News.
The study, published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics, has revealed that altitude may have a bearing on the occurrence of SIDS among infants. They assessed residential altitude of over 393,000 Colorado babies. They also included the birth and death certificates of the infants between 2007 and 2012, Time Magazine reports.
They collated all the data and they discovered that infants who lived at 8,000 feet and above have two times risk of suffering from SIDS than those infants who lived under 6,000 feet. However, the study did not specifically mention the reason behind the association of high altitude and SIDS. Yet, many are pinpointing hypoxia or decreased oxygen levels in higher altitudes as culprits in SIDS among infants.
Scientists in the past have long been contemplating on the association of oxygen levels and death among infants. It is widely known that as the altitude increases, the oxygen levels decreases. That is why it is very hard to breathe when living in the mountains compared for those who live in the lowlands.
Dr. Amber Khanna, a researcher on the project and a pediatric doctor at University of Colorado Hospital said, "The overall risk of SIDS is really low, it's less than 1 in 1,000. Parents living at altitude should really be vigilant about the basics of preventing SIDS."
