[Exercise capacity in children with mild sleep-disordered breathing].

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Exercise Physiology
• Sleep Medicine

Background:

• Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is linked to reduced physical activity in children.
• Limited data exists on SDB's impact on children's exercise capacity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess exercise capacity in children with SDB.
• To evaluate the potential benefit of exercise training interventions for children with SDB.

Main Methods:

• Compared 12 children with suspected SDB to 11 healthy controls (aged 13±0.5 years).
• Utilized polysomnography, physical activity assessment, and incremental/all-out exercise tests.

Main Results:

• SDB group had a higher respiratory disturbance index (4.6±4.7 vs 0.8±0.6).
• Children with SDB exhibited lower VO2max (32.0±9.9 vs 42.3±5.7mL·kg−1·min−1) and peak power (8.6±3.4 vs 11.8±1.9W·kg−1).
• A significant correlation between VO2max and weekly physical activity was found only in the SDB group (P=0.005).

Conclusions:

• Mild SDB may impair aerobic and anaerobic exercise capacity in children, linked to lower physical activity.
• Exercise training interventions could be clinically beneficial for children experiencing SDB.