Sudden infant death in service families.

A study of all the cot deaths in infancy which occurred in Service families in British Forces Germany (BFG) from 1981-4 was undertaken in order to ascertain the frequency of these tragedies. The total number of deaths was ninety-seven and in sixty cases no cause of death was found at post mortem. The incidence in the Service community was calculated so that comparison could be made with the civilian population of England and Wales. The results of the study indicated that cot deaths occurred relatively more frequently in the Service population even allowing for socio-economic differences between the two groups. However, postneonatal deaths from causes other than cot death occurred less often in BFG. Cot deaths are therefore the cause of the higher postneonatal mortality rates in the Service community and they constitute an important target for preventive medicine. The measures which have been taken in BFG in recent years to reduce the number of cot deaths are discussed in this paper together with some further ideas which might help to solve this distressing problem.