Sleep and breathing disturbances in infancy and early childhood
1Division of Child and Adolescent Neurology and the Sleep Disorders Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Seminars in Pediatric Neurology
|March 3, 2004
Insights
Sleep-related breathing problems differ with age and can affect brainstem, nerves, or airway muscles. Many of these disorders impacting sleep are treatable, with molecular causes now being uncovered.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Sleep Medicine
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Sleep-related breathing problems exhibit age-dependent variations.
- Ventilatory dysfunction can stem from the brainstem, autonomic nerves, or upper airway muscles.
- These disorders are influenced by sleep states (REM/NREM) and nervous system maturation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize the current understanding of sleep-related breathing problems across different age groups.
- To highlight the physiological underpinnings and contributing factors.
- To emphasize the potential for treatment and emerging molecular insights.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on pediatric and adult sleep-related breathing disorders.
- Analysis of factors influencing ventilatory control during sleep.
- Synthesis of data on the impact of neurological development and sleep states.
Main Results:
- Sleep-related breathing problems manifest differently based on age.
- Compromised ventilatory function can occur at multiple physiological levels.
- Disorders are modulated by sleep stage and neurodevelopmental status.
Conclusions:
- Sleep-related breathing disorders are complex and age-variable.
- Understanding the molecular basis is crucial for advancing treatment.
- Many of these conditions are amenable to therapeutic interventions.
Abstract:
The nature of sleep-related breathing problems varies with age. Ventilatory function may be compromised at the level of the brainstem, the autonomic nerves, or the upper airway musculature. These disorders are state-dependent, being impacted by both rapid eye movement and non-rapid eye movement sleep, and also by the degree of maturation of the nervous system. Many are treatable. An understanding of the molecular basis of these disorders is just now becoming apparent.
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