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Infant-feeding methods and childhood sleep-disordered breathing
Hawley Evelyn Montgomery-Downs1, Valerie McLaughlin Crabtree, Oscar Sans Capdevila
1West Virginia University, Department of Psychology, 1124 Life Sciences Building, PO Box 6040, Morgantown, WV 26506-6040, USA. hawley.montgomery-downs@mail.wvu.edu
Breastfeeding for at least two months was associated with reduced severity of childhood sleep-disordered breathing. Longer breastfeeding duration did not offer additional benefits for sleep-disordered breathing severity.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Sleep Medicine
- Immunology
Background:
- Childhood sleep-disordered breathing negatively impacts cognitive development, behavior, and quality of life.
- Chronic upper airway inflammation and tissue hypertrophy underlie sleep-disordered breathing in children.
- Infant breastfeeding offers immunologic protection against early exposures that may contribute to sleep-disordered breathing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between infant breastfeeding and the severity of childhood sleep-disordered breathing.
- To determine if breastfeeding duration influences sleep-disordered breathing severity in children.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective survey was administered to parents/guardians of 196 children undergoing polysomnography for habitual snoring.
- Infant feeding methods were recorded.
- Sleep-disordered breathing severity was assessed using measures like apnea-hypopnea index and respiratory arousal index.
Main Results:
- Children breastfed for at least two months exhibited significantly reduced sleep-disordered breathing severity across all assessed measures.
- No additional benefits in sleep-disordered breathing severity were observed for breastfeeding durations exceeding five months.
Conclusions:
- Breastfeeding may offer long-term protection against the severity of childhood sleep-disordered breathing.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms by which infant feeding impacts the pathophysiology of childhood sleep-disordered breathing.
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