Misdiagnosis of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

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Misdiagnosis of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

The underlying cause of SIDS is usually never discovered....more about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome »

Alternative diagnoses list for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome:

For a diagnosis of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, the following list of conditions have been mentioned in sources as possible alternative diagnoses to consider during the diagnostic process for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome:

Infanticide (type of Homicide)
Accidental smothering - such as a toddler sibling playing peekabo with a pillow.
Hypoglycemia - From some undiagnosed disorder.
Vaccination adverse reaction (type of Adverse reaction) - this has been suggested in some cases; remains highly controversial; various studies disprove.
Whooping cough - some studies have shown that various babies diagnosed with SIDS had positive reactions for pertussis; because infants may not always cough with pertussis, it may be possible for a pertussis-related death to be misdiagnosed as SIDS. Thus pertussis vaccination may be a prevention of SIDS.

Diseases for which Sudden Infant Death Syndrome may be an alternative diagnosis

The other diseases for which Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is listed as a possible alternative diagnosis in their lists include:

Reye's Syndrome

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Hidden Causes Misdiagnosed?

Causes of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome may include these medical conditions:

Arcuate nucleus brain abnormality - one of the possible causes in theories about SIDS
Medium chain acylCoA dehydrogenase deficiency
Respiratory infections - although not a direct cause, these may exacerbate some other cause.
Smoking - sudden infant death syndrome
Sleep apnea - sudden infant death syndrome
Medium-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency (MCAD deficiency)
more causes...»

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Medical Mistakes

Related medical mistakes may include:

Common Misdiagnoses and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

RLS sleep disorder causing night-time leg sensations often misdiagnosed: A common but relatively unknown sleep-related disorder called Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is often misdiagnosed. The typical symptoms are night-time tingling, crawling, or burning sensations in the legs, with the irresistable urge to move the legs. This need for leg movement leads to tossing and turning, or getting up out of bed, all of which interferes with the ability to fall asleep. The sufferer then has the typical symptoms of sleep deprivation during the day: fatigue, tiredness, morning headaches, irritability, poor concentration and so on. This condition is sometimes misdiagnosed as other conditions such as ADHD, sleep disorders, other causes of insomnia, or other causes of leg tingling. Many patients also suffer from a related disorder called Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), which causes leg spasms or other jerky movements. See introduction to RLS or introduction to PLMD.

Medical news summaries about misdiagnosis of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome:

The following medical news items are relevant to misdiagnosis of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome:

General Misdiagnosis Articles

Read these general articles with an overview of misdiagnosis issues.

About misdiagnosis:

When checking for a misdiagnosis of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or confirming a diagnosis of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, it is useful to consider what other medical conditions might be possible misdiagnoses or other alternative conditions relevant to diagnosis. These alternate diagnoses of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome may already have been considered by your doctor or may need to be considered as possible alternative diagnoses or candidates for misdiagnosis of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. For a general overview of misdiagnosis issues for all diseases, see Overview of Misdiagnosis.

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