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Correlation between REM AHI and quality-of-life scores in children with sleep-disordered breathing

Cristina Marie Baldassari1, Lyla Alam2, Maria Vigilar3

  • 1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters, Norfolk, Virginia, USA cristina.baldassari@chkd.org baldassc@gmail.com.

Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery : Official Journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
|August 29, 2014
PubMed

Insights

In children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), neither the obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) nor the rapid eye movement (REM) AHI on polysomnography (PSG) correlated with quality-of-life (QOL) scores. Only lower oxygen saturation predicted poorer QOL.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Quality of Life Research

Background:

  • Previous studies show a weak link between full-night apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) from polysomnography (PSG) and quality-of-life (QOL) in children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB).
  • The association between specific PSG metrics, like REM AHI, and QOL in pediatric SDB remains less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between the rapid eye movement (REM) AHI and QOL scores in children diagnosed with SDB.
  • To determine if PSG parameters, beyond REM AHI, correlate with QOL in this pediatric population.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective trial was conducted across two tertiary children's hospitals.
  • Eligible participants included children aged 3-16 years with suspected SDB undergoing PSG, excluding those with craniofacial anomalies.
  • Caregivers completed the validated Obstructive Sleep Apnea-18 (OSA-18) survey to assess QOL.

Main Results:

  • Out of 127 enrolled children, neither the obstructive AHI nor the REM AHI showed a significant correlation with total OSA-18 QOL scores.
  • Lower nadir oxygen saturation during PSG was significantly associated with poorer QOL (P = .02).
  • The 'sleep disturbance' subset score of the OSA-18 positively correlated with both obstructive AHI and REM AHI (r² = 0.22; P = .01).

Conclusions:

  • Neither obstructive AHI nor REM AHI effectively correlates with overall QOL in children with SDB.
  • Except for nadir oxygen saturation, standard PSG parameters do not adequately reflect the QOL impact of SDB in children.
  • Further research may be needed to identify better PSG predictors of QOL in pediatric SDB.
Abstract

Keywords:
obstructive sleep apneapediatricspolysomnogramquality of life

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