[Historical review on obstructive sleep apnea in children]

An historical review on the discoveries on pediatric obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and sleep-disordered breathing is outlined. Starting with the description by Dickens of "Joe" the obese, snoring and sleepy individual, the authors trace more than 50 years of questions and research starting with the lean adult to the child and from the recognition of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome to the outline of upper-airway resistance syndrome. The pathophysiological knowledge on sleep-disordered breathing has evolved over time, as have treatment approaches in children, from tracheostomy to positive-airway-pressure therapy, to adenotonsillectomy with and without orthodontic treatments to oral-facial myofunctional therapy. Co-morbidities of sleep-disordered breathing are multiple, involving cognition, behavioral, and mood disorders, cardiovascular impairment, etc. There have been many advances in a short time due to the investigation of OSAS, but many questions still need responses.