Causes of Infant Death

Causes of Infant Death

Infant death can have many causes, including pregnancy complications, congenital abnormalities (birth defects), premature birth, low birth weight, respiratory distress syndrome and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Infant Death: Related Medical Conditions

To research the causes of Infant Death, consider researching the causes of these these diseases that may be similar, or associated with Infant Death:

• Intrauterine death
• Sudden infant death death syndrome
• Maternal smoking
• Passive smoking
• Congenital enzyme disorders
• Cot death syndrome
• Non accidental injury
• Perinatal mortality
• Neonatal mortality
• Postneonatal mortality
• Child
• Sudden infant death syndrome
• Child mortality
• Pneumonia
• Congenital malformation

Infant Death: Causes and Types

Causes of Types of Infant Death: Review the cause informationfor the various types of Infant Death:

• SIDS
• more types...»

Causes of Broader Categories of Infant Death: Review the causal information about the various more general categories of medical conditions:

• Death
• Infant health conditions
• Death conditions
• more types...»

Infant Death as a complication of other conditions:

Other conditions that might have Infant Death as a complication may, potentially, be an underlying cause of Infant Death. Our database lists the following as having Infant Death as a complication of that condition:

• Achondrogenesis, type 3
• Acrorenal syndrome recessive
• Adrenomyodystrophy
• Aortic arch interruption
• Apnea of infancy (AOI)
• Arnold-Chiari malformation type 4
• Arterial calcification of infancy
• Arthrogryposis -- renal dysfunction -- cholestasis syndrome
• Asphyxiating Thoracic Dystrophy 2
• Asphyxiating Thoracic Dystrophy 3
• Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease
• Bare lymphocyte syndrome
• BBB syndrome, X-linked
• Bland-Garland-White syndrome
• Brain malformation -- congenital heart disease -- postaxial polydactyly
• Cataract and cardiomyopathy
• CDG syndrome type I
• Chondrodysplasia, Grebe type
• Chondrodystrophia calcificans congenita
• Chondrodystrophia punctata, autosomal dominant
• Chromosome 12, trisomy 12q
• Chromosome 12q duplication syndrome
• Chromosome 21, monosomy 21q22
• Chromosome 4 short arm deletion
• Chromosome 8, mosaic trisomy
• Cleft palate -- cardiac defect -- genital anomalies -- ectrodactyly
• CMV antenatal infection
• Complete Trisomy 18 syndrome
• Complex 1 mitochondrial respiratory chain deficiency
• Complex 5 mitochondrial respiratory chain deficiency
• Congenital chloride diarrhea
• Conradi-Huenermann Syndrome
• Conradi-Hunermann syndrome
• Cortical blindness -- mental retardation -- polydactyly
• Craniorachischisis
• Defective expression of HLA class 2
• Del(1) (q12-q21.3)
• Deletion 10pter
• Deletion 4p
• Diaphragmatic hernia, congenital
• Diastrophic dysplasia
• Dup(1) (p31-p21)
• Dup(1) (q25-q32)
• Duplication 12q
• Duplication 13
• Duplication 18
• Dysplastic cortical hyperostosis
• Edward Syndrome
• Edwards Syndrome
• Endomyocardial fibroelastosis
• Enterovirus antenatal infection
• Epileptic encephalopathy, early infantile, 1
• Faciocardiorenal syndrome
• Familial visceral myopathy
• Fanconi-ichthyosis-dysmorphism
• Fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia
• Frank-Ter Haar syndrome
• Fraser-like syndrome
• Glycine encephalopathy, classical neonatal early-onset form
• Glycine encephalopathy, classical neonatal form
• Goossens-Devriendt syndrome
• Grebe Syndrome
• Heart defects -- limb shortening
• Hemimegalencephaly
• Hereditary nodular heterotopia
• Herrmann-Opitz craniosynostosi
• Holoprosencephaly -- caudal dysgenesis
• Holoprosencephaly -- ectrodactyly -- cleft lip/palate
• Hoyeraal-Hreidarsson syndrome
• Humerospinal dysostosis -- congenital heart disease
• Hyalinosis, infantile systemic
• Hydrocephaly corpus callosum agenesis diaphragmatic hernia
• Hypertelorism -- esophageal abnormalities -- hypospadias
• Hypertelorism with esophageal abnormality and hypospadias
• Hypomandibular faciocranial dysostosis
• Hypoplastic thumbs -- hydranencephaly
• Hypospadias -- hypertelorism
• Ichthyosis -- alopecia -- eclabion -- ectropion -- mental retardation
• Johnston Aarons Schelley syndrome
• Kennerknecht-Sorgo-Oberhoffer syndrome
• Kenny-Caffey syndrome, Type 1
• Kenny-Caffey syndrome, Type 2
• Kernicterus
• Kleeblattschaedel syndrome
• Kosztolanyi syndrome
• Koussef nichols syndrome
• Kousseff-Nichols syndrome
• Labor, Premature
• Lactic acidosis congenital infantile
• Larsen-like syndrome, lethal form
• Larsen-like syndrome, lethal type
• Lateral body wall complex
• Lethal chondrodysplasia, Moerman type
• Lethal chondrodysplasia, Seller type
• Lower limb anomaly -- ureteral obstruction
• Lurie-Kletsky syndrome
• Mental retardation -- myopathy -- short stature -- endocrine defect
• Micrencephaly corpus callosum agenesis
• Microcephaly brain defect spasticity hypernatremia
• Monosomy 8q21 q22
• Morse-Rawnsley-Sargent syndrome
• Muller-Barth-Menger syndrome
• Multicystic renal dysplasia, bilateral
• Multiple congenital anomalies -- mental retardation -- growth failure and cleft lip/ palate
• Multiple joint dislocations -- metaphyseal dysplasia
• Multiple pterygium syndrome
• Muscle phosphoglycerate kinase deficiency
• NADH CoQ reductase, deficiency of
• Nemaline myopathy 2
• Nemaline myopathy 3
• Neonatal bacterial meningitis
• Opitz G Syndrome
• Opitz G/BBB Syndrome
• Opitz G/BBB syndrome, Autosomal dominant
• Opitz G/BBB Syndrome, type I
• Opitz G/BBB Syndrome, Type II
• Opitz G/BBB Syndrome, X-linked
• Opitz syndrome , X-linked
• Ossification anomalies -- psychomotor development delay
• Partial Trisomy 18 Syndrome
• Patau syndrome
• Pearson's marrow-pancreas syndrome
• Pontoneocerebellar Hypoplasi
• Pontoneocerebellar Hypoplasia
• Proud-Levine-Carpenter syndrome
• Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, congenital
• Pulmonary atresia -- intact ventricular septum
• Pulmonary surfactant protein B, deficiency of
• Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease
• Roberts-SC Phocomelia
• Rüdiger syndrome 2
• Short ribs -- craniosynostosis -- polysyndactyly
• Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome, type 2
• Spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress 1
• Spondylocostal dysostosis, autosomal recessive
• Spondylocostal dysostosis, autosomal recessive 1
• Spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia joint laxity
• Spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia with joint laxity
• Spondylometaphyseal dysplasia, Sedaghatian type
• Steinfeld syndrome
• Striatonigral degeneration infantile
• Succinyl-CoA acetoacetate transferase deficiency
• Symmetrical thalamic calcifications
• Tetraamelia -- multiple malformations
• Tetraamelia with pulmonary hypoplasia
• Tetraploidy
• Thakker-Donnai syndrome
• The Congenital Lactic Acidoses
• Thin ribs -- tubular bones -- dysmorphism
• Thomas-Jewett-Raines syndrome
• Thompson-Baraitser syndrome
• Thoraco abdominal enteric duplication
• Thoracopelvic dysostosis
• Tracheoesophageal fistula -- hypospadias
• Transposition of great arteries
• Transposition of the great arteries
• Triose phosphate-isomerase deficiency
• Trisomy 18 mosaicism
• Trisomy 18 Syndrome
• Trisomy 8 mosaicism
• Urethral obstruction sequence
• VACTERL with hydrocephalus, X-linked
• Vocal cord dysfunction familial
• Wolman disease

Infant Death as a symptom:

Conditions listing Infant Death as a symptom may also be potential underlying causes of Infant Death. Our database lists the following as having Infant Death as a symptom of that condition:

• 3-Hydroxyisobutyric aciduria
• Acrofacial dysostosis Preis type
• Acrofacial dysostosis Rodriguez type
• Agnathia-holoprosencephaly-situs inversus
• Al Gazali Hirschsprung syndrome
• Alopecia -- hypogonadism -- extrapyramidal disorder
• Alveolar capillary dysplasia
• Anophthalmia -- hypothalamo-pituitary insufficiency
• Anophthalmia -- hypyothalamo-pituitary insufficiency
• Anorectal atresia
• Astley-Kendall syndrome
• Beemer-Ertbruggen syndrome
• Bone dysplasia, lethal, Holmgren type
• Brachymesomelia-renal syndrome
• Campomelia Cumming type
• Cardioencephalomyopathy fatal infantile due to cytochrome c oxidase deficiency
• Cardiomyopathy -- hypotonia -- lactic acidosis
• Cardiomyopathy, X-linked, fatal infantile
• Cephalic disorders
• Chromosome 1, duplication 1p21 p32
• Chromosome 1, monosomy 1q32 q42
• Chromosome 1, trisomy 1q32 qter
• Chromosome 10p terminal deletion syndrome
• Chromosome 2, trisomy 2q
• Chromosome 2q duplication syndrome
• Colavita-Kozlowski syndrome
• Congenital cardiovascular malformations
• Congenital disorder of glycosylation type 1H
• Congenital disorder of glycosylation type 1M
• Congenital disorder of glycosylation type 1X
• Corpus callosum agenesis -- blepharophimosis -- Robin sequence
• Corpus callosum, agenesis of, blepharophimosis Robin type
• Cystic hygroma, lethal -- cleft palate
• Czeizel syndrome
• Del (2) (q22-q24.2)
• Del (3) (q28-qter)
• Dennis-Fairhurst-Moore syndrome
• Diffuse neonatal hemangiomatosis
• Digitorenocerebral syndrome
• Diphallus -- rachischisis -- imperforate anus
• Dup (1)(pter-p31) and del(2)(q33-qter)
• Dup(1) (p31-p11)
• Dup(1) (p34.1-p31)
• Dup(1) (p35-p31)
• Duplication 2q
• Edinburgh malformation syndrome
• Ellis-Yale-Winter syndrome
• Emerinopathy
• Epidermolysa bullosa simplex and limb girdle muscular dystrophy
• Epiphyseal stippling syndrome -- osteoclastic hyperplasia
• Eye defects -- arachnodactyly -- cardiopathy
• Familial intestinal polyatresia syndrome
• Female pseudohermaphrodism -- anorectal anomalies
• Female sex reversal with dysgenesis of kidneys, adrenals and lungs
• Fetal akinesia syndrome, X-linked
• Fetal indomethacin syndrome
• Finnish lethal neonatal metabolic syndrome
• Franek-Bocker-Kahlen syndrome
• Fried-Goldberg-Mundel syndrome
• Gay-Feinmesser-Cohen syndrome
• Glycine synthase deficiency
• Glycine synthase deficiency, type 1
• Glycine synthase deficiency, type 2
• HEC syndrome
• Holoprosencephaly deletion 2p
• Immunodeficiency, gonadal dysgenesis and pulmonary fibrosis
• Ives-Houston syndrome
• Johnson-Hall-Krous syndrome
• Kaplan-Plauchu-Fitch syndrome
• Laryngeal web congenital heart disease short stature
• Lethal congenital contracture syndrome (LCCS)
• Lethal congenital contracture syndrome 1
• Lissencephaly, type 1, X-linked
• Lissencephaly, X-linked 2
• Lissencephaly, X-linked, 1
• Lobstein disease
• Malformations in neuronal migration
• Maroteaux-Stanescu-Cousin syndrome
• Meckel syndrome type 2
• Meckel syndrome type 3
• Micrencephaly olivopontocerebellar hypoplasia
• Microcephaly brain defect spasticity hypernatremia
• Microlissencephaly
• Mullerian derivatives -- lymphangiectasia -- polydactyly
• Myopathy, Congenital, Compton-North
• Novak syndrome
• Obesity -- colitis -- hypothyroidism -- cardiac hypertrophy -- developmental delay
• Oculo cerebro acral syndrome
• Oral facial digital syndrome, type 4
• Osteopetrosis with neuroaxonal dysplasia, infantile form
• Pancreatic beta cell agenesis with neonatal diabetes mellitus
• Peroxisomal bifunctional enzyme deficiency
• Pfeiffer syndrome Type 3
• Pfeiffer Syndrome Type III
• Polydactyly visceral anomalies cleft lip palate
• Polysyndactyly -- cardiac malformation
• Polysyndactyly overgrowth syndrome
• Pontocerebellar hypoplasia with infantile spinal muscular atrophy
• Powell-Buist-Stenzel syndrome
• Proximal spinal muscular atrophy
• Pulmonary hypoplasia familial primary
• Pyknoachondrogenesis
• Radio renal syndrome
• Raine syndrome
• Renal dysplasia -- limb defects syndrome
• Renal-genital-middle ear anomalies
• Rudd-Klimek syndrome
• Saal-Bulas syndrome
• Short limb dwarf lethal, Mcalister Crane type
• Short limb dwarfism, Al Gazali type
• Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome, type 1 (SGBS1)
• Skeletal dysplasia, San Diego type
• Stuve-Wiedemann dysplasia
• Stuve-Wiedemann syndrome
• Succinic acidemia -- lactic acidosis, congenital
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
• Thalamic degeneration symmetrical infantile
• Thanatophoric dysplasia, Glasgow variant
• Thymic-Renal-Anal-Lung dysplasia
• Timothy syndrome
• Tollner-Horst-Manzke syndrome
• Tracheal agenesis without tracheoesophageal fistula
• Trisomy 12 mosaicism
• Trisomy 13 mosaicism
• Trisomy 3 mosaicism
• Type 1 Tracheal agenesis without tracheoesophageal fistula
• Type 2 Tracheal agenesis without tracheoesophageal fistula
• Type 3 Tracheal agenesis without tracheoesophageal fistula
• Young McKeever Squier syndrome

Medical news summaries relating to Infant Death:

The following medical news items are relevant to causes of Infant Death:

• Failure to diagnose meningococcal septicemia results in infant death
• Folic acid prevents neural tube defects
• Manslaughter for infants death
• Meningitis claims a young victim
• Midwife sued over brain damaged infant
• Midwives under scrutiny as 2 home deliveries die
• Neonatal herpes proposed tracking
• Shaken baby syndrome de facto taken to court
• Vaccination a life saver against meningitis
• More news »

Cause statistics for Infant Death:

The following are statistics from various sources about the causes of Infant Death:

• 10% of cases of infant deaths caused by smoking in the US (American Lung Association)
• Top ten causes of infant death:
  • Number 1 cause of infant death is Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (NVSR Sep 2001)
  • Number 2 cause of infant death is complications of prematurity or low birthweight (NVSR Sep 2001)
  • Number 3 cause of infant death is Sudden infant death syndrome (NVSR Sep 2001)
  • Number 4 cause of infant death is maternal complications of pregnancy (NVSR Sep 2001)
  • Number 5 cause of infant death is Respiratory distress syndrome (NVSR Sep 2001)
  • Number 6 cause of infant death is complications of placenta, cord, and membranes (NVSR Sep 2001)
  • Number 7 cause of infant death is Accidents (NVSR Sep 2001)
  • Number 8 cause of infant death is Bacterial sepsis (NVSR Sep 2001)
  • Number 9 cause of infant death is circulatory system disorders (NVSR Sep 2001)
  • Number 10 cause of infant death is Atelectasis (NVSR Sep 2001)
• Top causes of death for infants aged less than 1 year in the USA 1999 [CDC NVSR 2001]:
  • congenital defects including chromosome conditions caused 19.6% of deaths less than 1 year old in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • Disorders related to prematurity and low birth weight caused 15.7% of deaths less than 1 year old in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • SIDS caused 9.5% of deaths less than 1 year old in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • Maternal pregnancy complications affecting newborn caused 5.0% of deaths less than 1 year old in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • respiratory distress syndrome of newborn caused 4.0% of deaths less than 1 year old in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • Complications of placenta affecting newborn caused 3.7% of deaths less than 1 year old in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • accidents caused 3.0% of deaths less than 1 year old in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • bacterial sepsis of newborn caused 2.5% of deaths less than 1 year old in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • circulatory system diseases caused 2.4% of deaths less than 1 year old in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • atelectasis caused 2.3% of deaths less than 1 year old in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • Other causes caused 32.4% of deaths less than 1 year old in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
• Top causes of death for neonates caused first 28 days in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001] in the USA 1999:
  • Disorders related to prematurity and low birth weight caused 23.1% of deaths for neonates in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001] [CDC NVSR 2001]
  • congenital defects including chromosome conditions caused 20.8% of deaths for neonates in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001] [CDC NVSR 2001]
  • Maternal pregnancy complications affecting newborn caused 7.4% of deaths for neonates in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001] [CDC NVSR 2001]
  • respiratory distress syndrome of newborn caused 5.6% of deaths for neonates in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001] [CDC NVSR 2001]
  • Complications of placenta affecting newborn caused 5.4% of deaths for neonates in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001] [CDC NVSR 2001]
  • bacterial sepsis of newborn caused 3.5% of deaths for neonates in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001] [CDC NVSR 2001]
  • atelectasis caused 3.4% of deaths for neonates in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001] [CDC NVSR 2001]
  • In-uterus hypoxia and birth asphyxia caused 3.1% of deaths for neonates in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001] [CDC NVSR 2001]
  • neonatal hemorrhage caused 2.6% of deaths for neonates in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001] [CDC NVSR 2001]
  • necrotizing enterocolitis of newborn caused 1.9% of deaths for neonates in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001] [CDC NVSR 2001]
  • Other causes caused 23.2% of deaths for neonates in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001] [CDC NVSR 2001]
• Top ten causes of death for non-neonate infants aged less than 1 year but older than 28 days in the USA 1999 [CDC NVSR 2001]:
  • SIDS caused 26.5% of deaths for non-neonate infants in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • congenital defects including chromosome conditions caused 19.4% of deaths for non-neonate infants in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • accidents caused 8.1% of deaths for non-neonate infants in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • circulatory system diseases caused 4.5% of deaths for non-neonate infants in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • septicemia caused 2.8% of deaths for non-neonate infants in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • homicide caused 2.8% of deaths for non-neonate infants in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • chronic respiratory disease from perinatal period caused 2.7% of deaths for non-neonate infants in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • Digestive conditions including gastritis, duodenitis, non-infectious enteritis, and colitis caused 2.2% of deaths for non-neonate infants in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • meningitis caused 0.9% of deaths for non-neonate infants in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • Other causes caused 27.4% of deaths for non-neonate infants in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
• Top ten causes of death for age 1-4 years in the USA 1999 [CDC NVSR 2001]:
  • accidents caused 36.2% of deaths for age 1-4 years in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • congenital defects including chromosome conditions caused 10.5% of deaths for age 1-4 years in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • cancer caused 8.0% of deaths for age 1-4 years in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • homicide caused 7.2% of deaths for age 1-4 years in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • heart disease caused 3.5% of deaths for age 1-4 years in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • influenza and pneumonia caused 2.5% of deaths for age 1-4 years in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • perinatal conditions caused 1.8% of deaths for age 1-4 years in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • septicemia caused 1.7% of deaths for age 1-4 years in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • Non-malignant cancers caused 1.2% of deaths for age 1-4 years in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • Chronic lower respiratory diseases caused 1.0% of deaths for age 1-4 years in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
  • Other causes caused 26.7% of deaths for age 1-4 years in USA 1999 [NVSR 2001]
• more statistics...»

Related information on causes of Infant Death:

As with all medical conditions, there may be many causal factors. Further relevant information on causes of Infant Death may be found in:

• Risk factors for Infant Death
• Contagiousness for Infant Death
• Genetics of Infant Death
• Hidden causes of Infant Death

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