Simultaneous sudden unexpected death in infancy of twins: case report

Vaccines and sudden infant death: An analysis of the VAERS database 1990-2019 and review of the medical literature

Although there is considerable evidence that a subset of infants has an increased risk of sudden death after receiving vaccines, health authorities eliminated "prophylactic vaccination" as an official cause of death, so medical examiners are compelled to misclassify and conceal vaccine-related fatalities under alternate cause-of-death classifications. In this paper, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database was analyzed to ascertain the onset interval of infant deaths post-vaccination. Of 2605 infant deaths reported to VAERS from 1990 through 2019, 58 % clustered within 3 days post-vaccination and 78.3 % occurred within 7 days post-vaccination, confirming that infant deaths tend to occur in temporal proximity to vaccine administration. The excess of deaths during these early post-vaccination periods was statistically significant (p < 0.00001). A review of the medical literature substantiates a link between vaccines and sudden unexplained infant deaths. Several theories regarding the pathogenic mechanism behind these fatal events have been proposed, including the role of inflammatory cytokines as neuromodulators in the infant medulla preceding an abnormal response to the accumulation of carbon dioxide; fatal disorganization of respiratory control induced by adjuvants that cross the blood-brain barrier; and biochemical or synergistic toxicity due to multiple vaccines administered concurrently. While the findings in this paper are not proof of an association between infant vaccines and infant deaths, they are highly suggestive of a causal relationship.

Is excess male infant mortality from sudden infant death syndrome and other respiratory diseases X-linked?

AIM

Male excess infant mortality is well known but unexplained. In 2004, we reported sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other infant respiratory deaths showed a ~50% male excess in the United States between 1979 and 2002. This study analyses expanded US data from 1968 to 2010 to see whether infant respiratory deaths still show similar ~50% male excess and may be X-linked.

METHODS

The analysis compared infant mortality data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1968-2010, with 11 World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases (ICD) rubric groups for respiratory deaths by accidents, congenital anomalies, respiratory diseases and causes unknown.

RESULTS

The 11 ICD groupings presented male excesses of ~50% and combining the 453,953 US cases produced a male fraction of 0.6034, a 52.1% male excess. A further 72,380 non-US respiratory cases showed a similar 0.6055 male fraction, a 53.5% male excess.

CONCLUSION

The constant ~50% male excess for quite different causes of respiratory death suggests they all have a common terminal event and that is acute anoxic encephalopathy. We hypothesise that this constant male excess phenomenon must be caused by a single X-linked gene, with a recessive condition, leading to a predisposition to succumb to acute anoxic encephalopathy.

Sudden twin infant death on the same day: a case report and review of the literature

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a major contributor to infant mortality. The cause of death is unknown: suggested possibilities include cardiovascular disease, anaphylactic shock, and suffocation. The occurrence of simultaneous sudden infant death syndrome is uncommon, such cases being extremely rare in forensic pathologic practice. We report two 10-week-old male twins who appeared well at the time of their evening feeding, yet died while sleeping on their backs. Both infants had petechial hemorrhages on the visceral pleura, epicardial surface of the heart, and thymus gland. Microscopic examination revealed pulmonary edema, intra-alveolar hemorrhage, and minor lymphocytic infiltration, again in both infants. In this report, we discuss the risk factors for SIDS, which should be considered individually or in combination as possible causes of death.

The prevalence of cobedding and SIDS-related child care practices in twins

Sudden unexplained and unexpected death in twins has not been well studied, particularly in relation to the common practice of sleeping twin infants together in the same cot (cobedding). Postal surveys of 109 mothers of twins were undertaken when the infants were 6 weeks, 4 months, and 8 months of age to determine the prevalence of cobedding, infant care practices related to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and the mother's knowledge of SIDS risk factors. SIDS risk factor knowledge was similar to an earlier survey of singletons in 2005. At 6 weeks, 76% of infants usually slept on the back; this changed to 86% at 4 months and 73% at 8 months. At 6 weeks, 52% usually cobedded with their twin all or part of the time. At 4 and 8 months, this had reduced to 31% and 10%, respectively. Side-by-side cobedding configurations were predominant at 6 weeks, with feet-to-feet configurations increasing as the infants grew older. Breastfeeding was reported in 83%, 61% and 31% of infants at 6 weeks, 4 months and 8 months, respectively. Pacifier use was reported in 38%, 50% and 33% at the respective surveys. As the age of the twins increased, mothers were significantly more likely to be concerned about deformational plagiocephaly in Twin 1 than in Twin 2.

CONCLUSION

Despite a lack of evidence of the risks or benefits of cobedding, this practice was very popular, especially in the younger infants. More research is needed to establish the safety of cobedding in relation to the risk of SIDS.