Abstract 1275

Increased incidence of chorioamniotis, funisitis, and/or villitis was noted in the placentas of 14 infants who had died of SIDS compared to those of 25 control infants. The SIDS cases were matched with the next eligible births for maternal age, parity, gestational age and payor status (clinic/private). All placental histology slides were reviewed by a single perinatal pathologist blinded to group assignment. Findings were categorized according to abnormalities of abruption, chorioamnionitis, funisitis, cord insertion, decidua, fetal vessels thrombosis, presence of infarction, intervillous thrombus, maternal floor, membrane histology, membrane insertion, presence of sickled RBC, villitis, villous histology, and the overall presence of inflammation, hypoxia and/or pathology.

The SIDS cases and controls were similar with respect to maternal age (23.1+/-5.9 vs 24.4+/-4.6 years), gestational age (36+/-5 vs 37+/-4 weeks), birth weight (2730+/-1038 vs 2772+/-933 gms), and placental weight (434+/-155 vs 464+/-146 gms). In addition, there were no differences in parity or payer status. The results of the pathological evaluation are noted below: (Table) While the pathologic lesion categories did not reach significant differences between the SIDS and control placentas, more than twice as many SIDS placentas as controls had chorioamniotis, funitis or villitis. This trend toward increased frequency of these lesions provides additional evidence to the relationship between SIDS and prenatal infection which may contribute to a damaging hypoxic event.

Table 1 No caption