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Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy (DISE) with Target Controlled Infusion (TCI) and Bispectral Analysis in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
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Obstructive sleep apnoea in children with Down syndrome

D K Ng1, H N Hui, C H Chan

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, Kwong Wah Hospital, Waterloo Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong. dkkng@ha.org.hk

Singapore Medical Journal
|August 23, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Children with Down syndrome (DS) have a high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), affecting 59%. Many DS children with OSA do not snore, highlighting the need for screening.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Children with Down syndrome (DS) exhibit anatomical predispositions to obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), including smaller airways and hypotonia.
  • OSA is a significant concern in DS, necessitating comparative studies to understand its prevalence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the prevalence of OSA in children with Down syndrome (DS) against a matched control group of children with snoring.
  • To investigate the occurrence of OSA in DS children, irrespective of habitual snoring.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective recruitment of DS children from the Hong Kong Down Syndrome Association.
  • Polysomnography (PSG) was conducted on 22 DS children and 22 gender-, age-, and weight-for-height matched controls.
  • Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) was defined by an apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) > 1.5.

Main Results:

  • The prevalence of OSA was 59% in DS children versus 32% in snoring controls.
  • DS children demonstrated significantly higher median AHI (1.80) compared to controls (0.50, p=0.041).
  • Approximately 61.5% of DS children with OSA did not report habitual snoring.

Conclusions:

  • Children with Down syndrome have a significantly higher prevalence of OSA compared to their peers.
  • A substantial proportion of DS children with OSA may not present with typical snoring, underscoring the importance of PSG screening.
Abstract

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