What is Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood?

Sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) is the unexpected death of a child aged 12 months or older for which no cause of death is identified after a thorough case investigation.

These events are rare. Around 5,700 children between 1 to 10 years of age die each year in the United States with an undetermined cause of death. Because coroners have varying training in pediatrics, this number might be underreported. Just over 50% of children affected are aged 1 to 3 years old.

Because it is so rare, it has been difficult to identify the cause. Many children are found face down, which is similar to what is often seen in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). This suggests it may be a similar cause.

As genetic technologies improve, researchers are beginning to suspect that there may be multiple causes. Different metabolic, cardiac and neurologic genes are being studied and are the most likely causes.

Children are reportedly healthy prior to death. No symptoms have been shown to predict SUDC.

Unfortunately, SUDC cannot be prevented because we don’t know why it happens. We have not identified which children are at risk or how to lower the risk for all children.