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Obesity and excessive daytime sleepiness in prepubertal children with obstructive sleep apnea

David Gozal1, Leila Kheirandish-Gozal

  • 1Kosair Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA. david.gozal@louisville.edu

Pediatrics
|January 2, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Obese children with habitual snoring experience excessive daytime sleepiness more often than nonobese children, even with similar obstructive sleep apnea severity. This highlights a significant link between obesity and sleep disorders in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Obesity Research
  • Respiratory Medicine

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is increasing, leading to more referrals for snoring evaluations.
  • The impact of obesity on daytime sleepiness in children with snoring is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether obesity influences the occurrence of excessive daytime sleepiness in children with habitual snoring.
  • To compare sleep patterns and daytime sleepiness between obese and nonobese children.

Main Methods:

  • Fifty obese and 50 nonobese children (ages 6-9) with habitual snoring underwent polysomnography and a multiple sleep latency test.
  • Obesity was defined by a BMI z score >1.67.

Main Results:

  • Obese children had significantly shorter mean sleep latencies (indicating more daytime sleepiness) than nonobese children.
  • Obstructive apnea/hypopnea index values were similar between groups.
  • Obesity was associated with a greater likelihood of excessive daytime sleepiness, independent of apnea severity.

Conclusions:

  • Obese children with habitual snoring are more prone to excessive daytime sleepiness than their nonobese counterparts.
  • This pattern of sleepiness in obese children resembles that seen in adults with obstructive sleep apnea.
Abstract

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