Diurnal temperature range as a novel risk factor for sudden infant death.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the relationship between diurnal temperature range (DTR) and sudden infant death (SID) between 2001 and 2004 in Shanghai, China.

METHODS

We conducted a time-stratified case-crossover analysis to estimate the percent increase of SID associated with changes in DTR after adjustment for daily weather conditions (temperature and relative humidity) and outdoor air pollution.

RESULTS

DTR was significantly associated with daily SID. An increase of 1 °C in the current-day (L0) and in the 2-day moving average (L01) DTR corresponds to a 1.56% (95% CI: 0.97%, 2.15%) and a 1.89% (95% CI: 1.17%, 2.60%) increase in SID, respectively.

CONCLUSION

An increased DTR was associated with an increased risk of SID in Shanghai. More studies are needed to understand the effect of DTR on infant deaths.