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Cardiovascular changes in children with snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea

Ka-li Kwok1, Daniel K Ng, Chung-hong Chan

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, Kwong Wah Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore
|September 18, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Childhood obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is linked to higher hypertension risk. This review highlights OSA

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Cardiovascular Health

Background:

  • Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a known cardiovascular risk in adults.
  • Emerging evidence indicates OSA's association with cardiovascular issues in children.
  • This review synthesizes current data on OSA and pediatric cardiovascular health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between obstructive sleep apnoea and cardiovascular abnormalities in children.
  • To review existing literature on the cardiovascular consequences of childhood OSA.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search of MEDLINE (1970-2008).
  • Keywords included "child," "sleep disordered breathing," "sleep apnoea," "snoring," "blood pressure," and "hearts."
  • Article selection by consensus between two authors.

Main Results:

  • OSA is consistently associated with hypertension in children.
  • Meta-analysis revealed a 3.15 odds ratio for hypertension in children with a high apnoea-hypopnoea index.
  • Evidence suggests increased sympathetic activation, reduced arterial distensibility, and ventricular hypertrophy in children with OSA.

Conclusions:

  • Childhood OSA is significantly associated with blood pressure dysregulation.
  • Further research is needed to fully understand OSA's link to other cardiovascular morbidities in children.
Abstract

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