Hypothesis: possible links between the respiratory distress syndrome of the premature neonate, the sudden infant death syndrome, and magnesium deficiency shock.

This hypothesis notes the similarities in the respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) of premature neonates, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) of postneonates, and the seizure-shock syndrome of acute magnesium (Mg) deficiency in stressed weanling animals, and suggests a common pathogenic link between the three. In each of these syndromes the lung is the major target organ, with haemorrhage, oedema, and microvascular congestion. It is suggested that platelet aggregation, leading to the transient release of mediators of shock, causes an acute, self-limited arachidonic acid cascade. The result of the shock is early death or spontaneous recovery with a propensity for recurrence; premature neonates who have had RDS are at particularly high risk for SIDS. Cases linking RDS and SIDS are cited.