Facts & Statistics
Facts About Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood
Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) is a category of death for a child 12 months of age or older that remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including the performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and clinical history review.
Most often, a seemingly healthy child goes to sleep and never wakes up.
At this time, we do not know what causes SUDC, how to predict it or how to prevent it.
A medical examiner or coroner could rule a child’s death SUDC when s/he completes a thorough evaluation and finds no other cause of death.
See the National Organization for Rare Disorders’ (NORD) report on SUDC.
Facts About The SUDC Foundation
The SUDC Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3). The SUDC Foundation is the only organization worldwide whose purpose is to raise awareness, fund research, and serve those affected by SUDC. The SUDC Foundation provides all services at no cost to the people it serves.
How Often Does SUDC Occur?
Due to variations in investigations and the way deaths are certified- we do not know exactly how often SUDC occurs. This is why the advocacy work the SUDC Foundation does, and the research it funds is so important.
Consistency in recording unexplained deaths, improves our understanding of the magnitude of SUDC and allows for appropriate allocation of resources. The best thing we can do, at this time, is estimate deaths due to SUDC by examining the statistics of deaths with “undetermined” causes. This information is displayed below.
SUDC Statistics
SIDS and Undetermined Child Death Rates
Leading Causes of Death
10 Leading Causes of Death in US
Based on the above statistics depicted in the charts and graphs, approximately 500 children in the U.S. were affected by sudden unexplained death in 2023, occurring in:
3 Ways We Advocate for Research
We FUND research into the CAUSE(S) of SUDC through grants
(Independent & External)
We ENDORSE research performed by others related to SUDC
We PARTICIPATE in organizational and public research advocacy efforts
Thanks to SUDC parent Allison Kramer and the team at Hero4Hire Creative, we have a new tool to help us all raise awareness and explain this little understood phenomenon. In this short, clear and poignant video, Hero 4 Hire Creative manages to capture the facts of SUDC and its raw emotional cost, but somehow still leaves us feeling hopeful and empowered! Thank you to Hero 4 Hire Creative for this incredible holiday gift to the SUDC community!
