Laryngomalacia  ("Floppy Voice box") is not a cause of SIDS.

January 19, 2003

My daughter was diagnosed with a floppy voice box when she was two weeks old. She is now 9 weeks old. They say the highest incidences of SIDS occurs between 2 and 4 months of age. I was wondering if her condition would make her more at risk for SIDS? I would appreciate any answers you could give me on this matter.

January 19, 2003

"Floppy voice box" is a fairly common condition called laryngomalacia. It is
caused by the cartilage in the larynx (voice box) being soft. Consequently,
when a baby breathes in, especially if he/she breathes in hard, it causes
the inlet to narrow, and often a sound is made. This condition improves
with age as the cartilage hardens, although it usually takes a few years to
resolve completely. Nearly all cases of laryngomalacia are harmless. For
those that do cause problems, there are always symptoms, such as loud noisy
breathing, or distress during breathing. Laryngomalacia is not a cause of
SIDS.

I hope this helps.
---Tom Keens, MD
tkeens@chla.usc.edu

January 20, 2003

There is no recognized relationship between this condition and SIDS. I hope this is helpful.
Carl Hunt, MD
HuntC@NHLBI.NIH.GOV