Why cot deaths occur in babies

A new study has claimed that cot death of a new-born baby happens when the infant has abnormalities like heart rate and blood control problems.

For the study, researchers studied deaths of 71 infants who died from cot death, also called sudden infant death syndrome, and compared the cause of death with babies who died in dangerous sleeping conditions.

Lead author of the study, Dr. Hannah Kinney, said that even infants dying in unsafe sleep environments had an underlying brainstem abnormality that likely made them vulnerable to sudden death if there was any degree of asphyxia, the Daily Express reported.

Kinney asserted that the abnormality prevents the brainstem from responding to the asphyxial challenge and waking.

The study was published in medical journal Pediatrics.