Treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea for chronic cough in children

Laurel Teoh1, Mark Hurwitz, Jason P Acworth

  • 1Department of Paediatrics & Child Health, The Canberra Hospital, PO Box 11, Woden, Canberra, ACT, Australia, 2606.

Insights

No studies show that treating childhood obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) resolves chronic cough. Further research is needed to determine if OSA therapies help manage cough in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Clinical Research

Background:

  • Childhood obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) involves repeated upper airway obstruction during sleep, disrupting breathing and sleep.
  • Chronic cough is a common pediatric issue, and a link with OSA has been suggested by adult studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess if treating OSA effectively resolves chronic cough in children.
  • To evaluate the role of OSA treatment in managing pediatric chronic cough.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic search of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and EMBASE databases up to September 2010.
  • Inclusion criteria focused on RCTs comparing OSA interventions with control groups in children with chronic cough.

Main Results:

  • No eligible randomized controlled trials were identified.
  • There is a lack of evidence from RCTs on the efficacy of OSA treatment for chronic cough in children.

Conclusions:

  • Currently, no evidence supports using OSA therapies to manage chronic cough in pediatric patients.
  • OSA should be managed independently of cough presence; further research is required.
Abstract

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