Mortalità infantile e morte improvvisa in culla in Lombardia.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the infant mortality rate and the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) which is not known in Italy. DESIGN: Retrospective mortality study using all deaths of resident infants occurring up to one year of age as recorded by the Italian Institute of Statistics, between 1994 and 1996. SETTING: Lombardy, Northern Italy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Infant mortality rate (deaths occurring in the 1st year of life), early neonatal mortality rate (1st-7th days of life), late neonatal mortality rate (8th day of life-1st month of life), post-neonatal rate (1st month-one year of life), and incidence of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). RESULTS: The infant mortality rate was 4.76 per 1,000 live births, with no significant differences among the three years and lower than the Italian rates. The SIDS incidence rate was 0.14 per 1,000 live births, and 0.39 per 1,000 live births when deaths not directly labelled as SIDS were considered. SIDS was the single leading cause of death in the first year of life after the early-neonatal period. CONCLUSIONS: The decrease of the infant mortality rate is due to the drop in mortality for congenital malformations and perinatal diseases. The incidence of SIDS in Northern Italy turns out to be low, while SIDS remains the single leading cause of death in the first year of life after the early neonatal period.