Sleep disordered breathing in children - Diagnostic questionnaires, comparative analysis

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Sleep Medicine
• Diagnostic Tools

Background:

• Obstructive sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in children requires effective screening methods.
• Polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard but often unavailable in clinical practice.
• Questionnaires can aid in early detection and management of pediatric SDB.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present and analyze available questionnaires for screening childhood obstructive SDB.
• To evaluate questionnaires for diagnostic utility when PSG is not feasible.
• To guide selection of appropriate screening tools in clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of seven pediatric SDB screening questionnaires.
• Evaluation criteria included administration simplicity, time, personnel requirements, symptom scope, sensitivity, and specificity.
• Questionnaires analyzed: Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ), Sleep Clinical Record (SCR), OSA-18, Brouilette score (BS), I'M SLEEPY, and SSSDR.

Main Results:

• Six of seven questionnaires were simple to administer, taking 1-60 minutes.
• Physical examination was required for two questionnaires; physician involvement for three.
• Sensitivity ranged from 59-96%, while specificity ranged from 46-72%.

Conclusions:

• Several questionnaires offer quick, inexpensive screening for obstructive SDB in children.
• Four questionnaires show potential utility in diagnosing pediatric SDB.
• Further optimization, particularly enhancing specificity, is needed for these screening tools.