Blood pressure in sleep disordered breathing

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J Kohyama1, J S Ohinata, T Hasegawa

  • 1Division of Human Ontogeny and Childhood Development, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical & Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan. jkohyama.ped@tmd.ac.jp

Archives of Disease in Childhood
|January 23, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB) show elevated blood pressure (BP) that correlates with SDB severity. Higher apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) indicates worse SDB and higher BP indices in pediatric patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Cardiovascular Physiology

Background:

  • Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is increasingly recognized in children.
  • The relationship between SDB and cardiovascular parameters like blood pressure (BP) requires further investigation in pediatric populations.
  • Adenotonsillar hypertrophy is a common cause of SDB in children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between blood pressure (BP) and sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in children.
  • To determine if SDB severity, measured by polysomnography indices, correlates with BP in pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

  • Blood pressure (BP) was measured during polysomnography in 23 children with suspected SDB and adenotonsillar hypertrophy.
  • BP indices were normalized to age-related changes and analyzed against SDB measures including desaturation time, SaO2 nadir, apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and arousal index.
  • Multiple regression analysis was used to identify predictors of BP indices.

Main Results:

  • The diastolic BP index during REM sleep significantly correlated with the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).
  • Children with an AHI of 10 or more exhibited significantly higher systolic and diastolic BP indices during wakefulness and REM sleep compared to those with lower AHI.
  • Age, BMI, and AHI were significant predictors of the systolic BP index during REM sleep.

Conclusions:

  • Blood pressure in pediatric SDB patients is positively correlated with the degree of SDB severity.
  • SDB severity, particularly the AHI, is a significant factor influencing BP in children.
  • These findings highlight the cardiovascular implications of SDB in pediatric populations.
Abstract

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