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Published on: February 2, 2017

Sleep-disordered breathing and systemic inflammation in overweight children and adolescents

S L Verhulst1, N Schrauwen, D Haentjens

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium. stijn.verhulst@ua.ac.be

International Journal of Pediatric Obesity : IJPO : an Official Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity
|July 9, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Worsening sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and intermittent hypoxia in overweight children are linked to higher white blood cell and neutrophil counts. This suggests a connection between SDB and cardiovascular risks.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric endocrinology
  • Sleep medicine
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is common in obese children.
  • Intermittent hypoxia, a key feature of SDB, may trigger inflammatory responses.
  • Obesity is associated with metabolic abnormalities and increased cardiovascular risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between SDB severity, particularly intermittent hypoxia, and peripheral leukocyte counts in overweight/obese children.
  • To determine if this association persists after controlling for adiposity and metabolic factors.

Main Methods:

  • Polysomnography was performed on 95 overweight and obese children (mean age 11.1 years).
  • Fasting blood samples were analyzed for white blood cell and neutrophil counts.
  • Statistical analyses controlled for age, BMI z-score, puberty, HOMA, and HDL-cholesterol.

Main Results:

  • Total white blood cell count significantly increased with worsening intermittent hypoxia.
  • White blood cell count correlated with maximal desaturation, independent of metabolic factors.
  • Neutrophil levels were associated with desaturation severity, even after controlling for confounders.

Conclusions:

  • Intermittent hypoxia during sleep is independently associated with elevated white blood cell and neutrophil levels in overweight/obese children.
  • This interaction may contribute to the link between SDB and increased cardiovascular morbidity.
  • Findings highlight the inflammatory impact of SDB in pediatric obesity.
Abstract

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