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. 2025 Jun 24:13:1606910.
doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1606910. eCollection 2025.

Global, regional, and national burden of sudden infant death syndrome, 1990-2021: a comprehensive analysis of GBD 2021 data with insights into the impact during the COVID-19 pandemic

Yuhan Sun #  1 , Haoran Peng #  2 , Qiao Chen  3 , Lijie Qin  2 , Ying Ren  2   4 , Yanwei Cheng  2
Affiliations

Global, regional, and national burden of sudden infant death syndrome, 1990-2021: a comprehensive analysis of GBD 2021 data with insights into the impact during the COVID-19 pandemic

Yuhan Sun et al. Front Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains a leading cause of infant mortality globally. Although the global burden has generally declined over recent decades, the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced these trends. This study investigates whether the global SIDS burden has changed, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study were analyzed to estimate SIDS mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) globally, regionally, and nationally. Rates were stratified by sex, age group, socio-demographic index (SDI), and health system level. Projections were made using the Bayesian Age-Period-Cohort model and the the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model.

Results: In 2021, global SIDS deaths totaled 30,608, with a mortality rate of 24.16 per 100,000 infants (95% UI, 14.06-32.44). Global DALYs were 2,746,174, at a rate of 2,167.56 per 100,000 infants (95% UI, 1,261.44-2,909.59). Mortality and DALYs rates decreased by 59% from 1990 to 2021, with marked regional differences. Regions with Low SDI and Minimal health systems, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa, had the highest burden, while higher SDI and advanced health system regions reported significant declines. Male infants aged 1-5 months showed higher rates than females. Despite a global decline during the pandemic, temporary increases occurred in countries including China, the Russian Federation, and Monaco. Projections suggest continued declines, predicting a mortality rate of 16.86 per 100,000 infants and DALYs rate of 1,400.41 per 100,000 infants by 2035.

Conclusions: The global SIDS burden has consistently declined since 1990, including during COVID-19, yet significant regional disparities remain. Enhanced healthcare interventions and targeted public health initiatives are crucial, particularly in regions with Low SDI and Minimal health system resources.

Keywords: COVID-19; disability-adjusted life years; global burden of disease; mortality; socio-demographic index; sudden infant death syndrome.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Regional number and rates of (A) deaths and (B) DALYs of SIDS in 1990 and 2019–2021.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Rates of (A) deaths and (B) DALYs of SIDS in 204 countries and territories in 2021.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Global number and rates of SIDS deaths and DALYs by sex and age in 2021. (A) Number of deaths and (B) number of DALYs by age group and sex; (C) SIDS death rates and (D) DALYs rates per 100,000 population across age groups, stratified by sex.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Future forecasts of global (A) deaths and (B) DALYs rates of SIDS from 2021 to 2035 by BAPC model.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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