Sudden infant death syndrome in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

The association between bronchopulmonary dysplasia and sudden infant death syndrome was studied retrospectively in low-birth-weight infants discharged from the neonatal program at Harvard Medical School. The incidence of sudden infant death syndrome was seven times greater in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia when compared with a group of control infants without bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Confounding factors, including birth weight, sex, multiple birth, socioeconomic status, and apnea were evaluated. The results indicate that there is an association between bronchopulmonary dysplasia and sudden infant death syndrome.