Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNEC), including neuroepithelial bodies (NEB), are amine- and peptide (for example, bombesin)–producing cells that function as hypoxia/hypercapnia-sensitive chemoreceptors that could be involved in the pathophysiology of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). We assessed morphometrically the frequency and size of PNEC/NEB in lungs of infants who died of SIDS (n = 21) and compared them to an equal number PNEC/NEB in lungs of age-matched control infants who died of accidental death or homicide, with all cases obtained from the San Diego SIDS/SUDC Research Project database. As a marker for PNEC/NEB we used an antibody against chromogranin A (CGA), and computer-assisted morphometric analysis was employed to determine the relative frequency of PNEC per airway epithelial area (% immunostained area, %IMS), the size of NEB, the number of nuclei/NEB, and the size of the NEB cells. The lungs of SIDS infants showed significantly greater %IMS of airway epithelium (2.72 ± 0.28 [standard error of the mean, SEM] versus 1.88 ± 0.24; P < 0.05) and larger NEB (1557 ± 153 μm² versus 1151 ± 106 μm²; P < 0.05) compared to control infants. The size of NEB cells was also significantly increased in SIDS cases compared to the controls (180 ± 6.39 μm² versus 157 ± 8.0 μm²; P < 0.05), indicating the presence of hypertrophy in addition to hyperplasia. Our findings support previous studies demonstrating hyperplasia of PNEC/NEB in lungs of infants who died of SIDS. These changes could be secondary to chronic hypoxia and/or could be attributable to maturational delay. Morphometric assessment and/or measurement of the secretory products of these cells (for example, CGA, bombesin) could provide a potential biological marker for SIDS.

Keywords: airway chemoreceptors, control of respiration, hypoxia, oxygen sensing, sudden infant death syndrome