Auditory processing assessment in children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Otolaryngology
• Neuroscience
• Speech and Hearing Sciences

Background:

• Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common respiratory disorder during sleep in children.
• Understanding the broader impacts of OSAS on child development is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and auditory processing abilities in children.
• To compare auditory processing in children with and without OSAS.

Main Methods:

• A study involving three groups of children aged 5-11: OSAS with normal polysomnography (GROUP I), OSAS with abnormal polysomnography (GROUP II), and a control group without ENT issues (GROUP III).
• Participants underwent ear, nose, and throat (ENT) examinations, polysomnography (PSG), and auditory processing assessments, including the dichotic digits test and non-verbal sequence memory test.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in ENT findings, with higher incidences of turbinate and palatine tonsil hypertrophy in the OSAS group (GROUP II).
• Children with OSAS (GROUP II) performed significantly worse on the dichotic digits test compared to the control group (GROUP III).
• The OSAS group (GROUP II) also showed poorer results on the non-verbal sequence memory test compared to GROUP I.

Conclusions:

• Children diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome exhibit impaired auditory processing skills.
• OSAS may negatively affect cognitive functions related to auditory perception and memory in pediatric populations.