Bel Air, Maryland – The last night of 17-month-old Hayden Fell’s life seemed like any other bedtime for the toddler. His family sang to him as he happily played in his pajamas with his twin brother and sister. However, tragedy struck the next morning when Hayden’s father was unable to wake him. Hayden had become one of the hundreds of seemingly healthy U.S. toddlers and preschoolers who suddenly die in their sleep without a clear cause after their autopsies.
A study from NYU Langone Health revealed that seizures during sleep could be a potential cause of some cases of sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC). This phenomenon, similar to SIDS in babies, occurs after a child’s first birthday. The small study provided the first direct evidence of a seizure link, with five of the toddlers dying shortly after experienced movements classified as brief seizures.
The recordings from home monitors revealed that some of the toddlers had signs of mild infections, leading to the question of whether febrile seizures, which are common in young children, could be a warning of something more serious. It’s important to note that the findings won’t change the advice about febrile seizures but may lead to further research to understand the differences between children who are at risk and those who are fine after an occasional seizure.
SUDC claims over 400 lives a year in the U.S., with most deaths occurring during sleep and affecting 1- to 4-year-olds. Although SIDS receives more public attention and research funding, SUDC is a lesser-known phenomenon that affects children beyond the age of SIDS. The Fells, for instance, had never even heard of SUDC until Hayden’s tragic death.
Hayden experienced his first seizure shortly before his first birthday, leading researchers to investigate genetic links to SUDC. This research revealed that some children harbored mutations in genes associated with heart or brain disorders, raising the possibility that some SIDS deaths could have seizure links as well.
The study’s senior author, Dr. Orrin Devinsky, emphasized the need for more research to understand the potential seizure links to SIDS and SUDC, while Hayden’s mother, Katie Czajkowski-Fell, hopes that the video evidence will help lead to answers.
Sudden unexplained deaths in childhood, particularly those related to seizures, continue to be a topic of interest for researchers and families affected by these tragedies.Caution must be exercised in interpreting the findings of the study and continuing the search for solutions to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.