Alcohol use and sudden infant death syndrome

Despite general evidence of fetal toxicities associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), there has been limited research focusing on the effects of parental alcohol use on SIDS occurrence, either directly or in interaction with other risk conditions. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on parental, especially maternal, alcohol use and SIDS. We present a model illustrating the possible association of alcohol exposure with SIDS and then use this model to organize study findings. Results show that, despite some ambiguities, intrauterine alcohol exposure is associated with SIDS. Parental postnatal use appears to be linked as well. We conclude that alcohol ingestion is a presumptive risk factor weakening an infant's life-saving responses, and should be more rigorously studied in order to develop and implement appropriate public-health-based interventions.