Laryngeal mucous gland excess in victims of sudden infant death
B. R. Fink and J. B. Beckwith
Larynges from 13 victims of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and from
ten controls of comparable age were subjected to serial histological
transverse section and examined for structural differences that bear on
functional performance. The cross-sectional area of mucous glands in the
vestibular fold, expressed as a percent of the total cross-sectional area
of the fold was 19.52 +/- 8.56 (mean +/- SD in the SIDS specimens), and
12.56 +/- 6.25 in the controls. The difference is statistically significant
and suggests that excess mucous laryngeal secretion may be present in at
least some cases of the syndrome.
