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The metabolic autopsy may now provide answers to some sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) cases. In the July issue of Clinical Chemistry, International Journal of Laboratory Medicine and Molecular Diagnostics, researchers at Neo Gen Screening have been able to attribute the cause of death in previously unexplained SIDS cases through the use of Tandem Mass Spectrometry (MS/MS). These deaths from inherited metabolic disorders would have remained undiagnosed after postmortem examination without MS/MS. The test can be used not only to provide families with a plausible reason for the death, but also an opportunity to prevent morbidity and mortality in asymptomatic but affected siblings. With this information families can also receive genetic counseling and seek prenatal diagnosis.

The diagnosis of SIDS or sudden expected death in early life is the largest single cause of death in children in industrialized nations. It accounts for approximately 25% of all the deaths in the first year of life. In an accompanying editorial, Michael Bennett and Piero Rinaldo suggest that MS/MS testing of infant and child deaths should become a standard protocol for medical examiners.

Contacts: The corresponding author of the study is Dr. Donald H. Chace, Neo Gen Screening, Bridgeville, PA, phone 412-341-8658, fax 412-341-8926, and email [email protected]; Michael J. Bennett is at Children's Medical Center of Dallas, phone 214- 456-2877, email [email protected] , and Piero Rinaldo is at the Mayo Clinic and Foundation, Rochester, MN.

Full text is scheduled to be posted www.clinchem.org/current.shtml on June 26, 2001. The direct link to the article is . Prior to the online posting copies are available by contacting Mac Fancher at (202) 835-8714 or email [email protected].