Bel Air, Maryland – The last bedtime of 17-month-old Hayden Fell’s life seemed like any other. The toddler was seen on crib video, playing happily with his family before bedtime. But tragically, the next morning, Hayden’s dad was unable to wake him. Hayden became one of the hundreds of seemingly healthy U.S. toddlers and preschoolers who die suddenly in their sleep each year, with autopsies unable to determine the cause.
A recent study by researchers at NYU Langone Health suggests that seizures during sleep may be a contributing factor to some of these unexplained deaths. The study analyzed home monitoring video that captured the deaths of seven sleeping toddlers, and found evidence of seizures shortly before five of the deaths. The findings were published in the journal Neurology.
Similar to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in babies, Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) occurs in children after their first birthday and remains poorly understood. Scientists have long suspected that seizures may play a role in some cases, and the recent study provides the first direct evidence of a seizure link.
The recordings from the home monitors revealed that five of the toddlers died shortly after movements deemed to be a brief seizure by a team of specialists. This raises questions about how to distinguish between harmless febrile seizures, which are common in young children, and those that may be a warning sign of something more serious.
SUDC is estimated to claim over 400 lives a year in the U.S., with just over half, about 250 deaths a year, occurring in 1- to 4-year-olds. Despite the devastating impact of SUDC, it receives less public attention and research funding compared to SIDS in infants.
The study emphasizes the need for further research to better understand the risk factors and potential warning signs of SUDC. Early detection of potential risks may lead to interventions that could prevent these tragic deaths. For families like the Fells, who lost Hayden to SUDC, the hope is that the new findings will eventually lead to answers that could save other children.