French scientists are claiming to have identified an anomaly in the hearts of victims of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) that could pinpoint newborn babies at risk with a simple blood test.
The research team at the University of Strasbourg believes so-called cot death babies have a fault in the regulation of the heartbeat causing it to slow down to the point where it stops altogether.
This fault is caused by the heart absorbing too much of a chemical produced by the cardiac nerve, which controls the heart rate, it says. It believes the anomaly can be identified by an enzyme in white blood cells.
