Twins in cot death study

Studies show cot death poses a greater risk to twins

A leading UK cot death charity is appealing for help to fund research into why twin babies are more at risk from the mystery condition.

Twins have a 49% greater chance of suffering cot death than single babies but experts have no idea why.

Twin babies will be filmed sleeping using infra-red cameras and parents will monitor their sleep patterns under the proposed research.

Parents often prefer to let twins share the same cot and experts hope to discover if the higher death rate is linked to the interaction between sleeping babies lying together.

Cash needed

Durham University's sleep laboratory will be used to compare their sleep patterns when alone and when in the same cot as their twin.

The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) is calling for support during its National Cot Death Appeal Week to fund the research project.

More than 9,000 sets of twins were born in the UK in 1998, a 17% increase on rates a decade ago.

The cot death rate has fallen by 72% since new advice about how babies should sleep and be cared for was issued in 1991.

In 1998, 244 babies in the UK suffered cot death, compared to 469 the previous year.