Which term describes sudden infant death syndrome?

• A. SIDS
• B. Bronchiolitis
• C. Intussusception
• D. Croup

Answer: (A)

SIDS stands for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, describing the sudden, unexplained death of an apparently healthy infant, usually during sleep. It is a diagnosis of exclusion—no identifiable cause is found after thorough investigation, including autopsy and death scene analysis. The condition most often involves infants under one year old, with a peak around 2 to 4 months.

Think of the other terms as describing real, identifiable illnesses: bronchiolitis is a viral infection of the lower airways that causes wheezing and breathing difficulty; intussusception is when a part of the intestine slides into another part, causing intermittent abdominal pain and other symptoms; croup is an infection that leads to a barking cough and sometimes stridor due to swelling around the airway. None of these describe an unexplained, sudden death, which is why the best term for the scenario is SIDS.