Obstructive sleep apnoea in children with Down syndrome

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.