"For a parent whose infant died suddenly and mysteriously even five years ago, we were essentially unable to provide them with a cause and would often have to tell them, 'We have no idea why your apparently healthy infant did not wake up this morning,' " Dr. Ackerman says. "Although so much of SIDS remains unexplained, these findings that point to the heart for 10 percent to 15 percent of SIDS provide one place to search for a possible explanation. For families that have lost an infant to SIDS, it would be reasonable for parents to talk with their physician to make sure there is no family history of other unexplained deaths, unexplained fainting episodes, unexplained seizures that might provide clues and prevent more deaths."
Other researchers involved in the CAV3 study were from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston. Researchers involved in the RyR2 study were from Columbia University, New York.