The American Academy of Sleep Medicine reports that approximately two percent of otherwise healthy young children have obstructive sleep apnea, a common form of SDB that occurs when soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses and blocks the airway during sleep.
Most children with OSA have a history of snoring that tends to be loud, and may include obvious pauses in breathing, and gasps for breath. Parents often notice that the child seems to be working hard to breathe during sleep. The study involved a random sample of 687 children in grades K-5. Their parents completed a brief questionnaire, and each child was evaluated between June and November during an overnight sleep study in the sleep laboratory. Mild sleep-disordered breathing was defined as having an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of one to five breathing pauses per hour of sleep.
The most surprising thing about this study was the difference in the children's breathing during sleep, over the summer and autumn. Disordered breathing was increased over June to September and decreased from September through November. This highlights the importance of the need to be aware of the childs seasonal ensitivities and allergic reactions.
In the June 2009 issue of the journal SLEEP, Bixler and his research team reported that nasal problems such as chronic sinusitis and rhinitis are significant risk factors for mild sleep-disordered breathing in children. However, the extent to which allergies may promote a seasonal variation in sleep-disordered breathing still needs to be determined.
Most children with OSA have a history of snoring that tends to be loud, and may include obvious pauses in breathing, and gasps for breath. Parents often notice that the child seems to be working hard to breathe during sleep. The study involved a random sample of 687 children in grades K-5. Their parents completed a brief questionnaire, and each child was evaluated between June and November during an overnight sleep study in the sleep laboratory. Mild sleep-disordered breathing was defined as having an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of one to five breathing pauses per hour of sleep.
The most surprising thing about this study was the difference in the children's breathing during sleep, over the summer and autumn. Disordered breathing was increased over June to September and decreased from September through November. This highlights the importance of the need to be aware of the childs seasonal ensitivities and allergic reactions.
In the June 2009 issue of the journal SLEEP, Bixler and his research team reported that nasal problems such as chronic sinusitis and rhinitis are significant risk factors for mild sleep-disordered breathing in children. However, the extent to which allergies may promote a seasonal variation in sleep-disordered breathing still needs to be determined.
These findings impact on the medical and drug treatments which are used to treat children who experience disordered breathing during sleep.
Posts
