Sleep disorders in low-risk preschool very preterm children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Sleep Medicine
• Neonatal Follow-up
• Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

• Preterm birth is associated with various developmental challenges.
• Sleep disturbances can impact neurodevelopment and overall health in children.
• Assessing sleep in very preterm children without neurological disabilities is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate sleep disorders in preschool-aged very preterm children (gestational age ≤ 31 weeks).
• To compare sleep patterns between very preterm children and a control group of term-born children.
• To identify specific sleep issues prevalent in the preterm population.

Main Methods:

• 146 low-risk very preterm children (mean GA 28 weeks) and 146 term-born controls were assessed at preschool age (mean 3.8 years).
• The Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) was used to evaluate sleep problems in both groups.
• Children had no history of neurological disabilities.

Main Results:

• 7% of preterm children had abnormal total sleep scores, and 21% had abnormal scores on at least one SDSC factor.
• The preterm group reported significantly higher median scores for total sleep, sleep-disordered breathing, sleep hyperhidrosis, and sleep-initiation/maintenance difficulties.
• No significant differences were found based on age at assessment or gestational age.

Conclusions:

• Very preterm children exhibit a slightly higher incidence of sleep disorders compared to term-born peers.
• Specific sleep factors like breathing and initiation difficulties are more common in preterm children.
• Findings support clinical screening for sleep disorders in at-risk preterm children for timely diagnosis and treatment.