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Published on: December 6, 2016
Clinical features of obstructive sleep apnea in children with obesity
Ai-Liang Liu1, Yue-Jie Zheng1, Zhe Su
1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518026, China (Yang Q, Email: 6468633@qq. com).
Insights
Obese children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) commonly experience daytime inattention and nighttime snoring. While sleep structure is similar to non-obese OSA patients, obese children show more severe respiratory events and oxygen desaturation.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Sleep Medicine
- Obesity Research
Background:
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent condition in children, often associated with obesity.
- Understanding the clinical manifestations and polysomnographic features of OSA in obese children is crucial for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical characteristics of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in obese children.
- To compare polysomnographic findings between obese children with OSA and normal-weight children with OSA.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of medical data from 33 obese children (7-15 years) diagnosed with OSA.
- Comparison with 50 age- and sex-matched normal-weight children diagnosed with OSA, using polysomnography (PSG) data.
Main Results:
- Daytime symptoms in obese OSA children included inattention (91%), somnolence (67%), and morning fatigue (64%). Nocturnal symptoms were snoring (82%), mouth breathing (61%), and sweating (49%).
- Obese OSA children exhibited significantly higher apnea-hypopnea index, obstructive apnea/hypopnea index, and oxygen desaturation index compared to normal-weight OSA controls.
- Both groups showed altered sleep structure (prolonged light sleep, shortened deep and REM sleep), with no significant inter-group differences in sleep architecture.
Conclusions:
- Obese children with OSA present with distinct daytime and nocturnal symptoms, notably inattention and snoring.
- Despite similar sleep structure alterations, obese children with OSA experience more severe respiratory disturbances and oxygen desaturation during sleep compared to their normal-weight counterparts.
Objectives:
To study the clinical features of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children with obesity.
Methods:
A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 33 obese children aged 7-15 years, who were diagnosed with OSA and received polysomnography (PSG) in the Department of Respiratory Medicine in Shenzhen Children's Hospital. Fifty OSA children with normal body weight, matched for sex and age, were enrolled as the control group.
Results:
Among the 33 obese children with OSA, the three most common daytime symptoms were inattention in 30 children (91%), somnolence in 22 children (67%), and morning fatigue in 21 children (64%), and the three most common nocturnal symptoms were snoring in 27 children (82%), mouth breathing in 20 children (61%), and sweating in 16 children (49%). Compared with the reference values of normal children, both the OSA + obesity group and the control group had prolonged light sleep, shortened deep sleep, and a significantly shortened rapid eye movement (REM) period, while there was no significant difference in these indices between the two groups (P>0.05). The apnea-hypopnea index, obstructive apnea/hypopnea index, and oxygen desaturation index in both REM and non-REM periods in the OSA +obesity group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05), while the lowest blood oxygen saturation during sleep was significantly lower in the OSA + obesity group (P<0.05).
Conclusions:
The children with obesity and OSA have the main daytime symptoms of inattention, somnolence, and morning fatigue and the main nocturnal symptoms of snoring, mouth breathing, and sweating. There is no significant difference in sleep structure between OSA children with obesity and those with normal body weight; however, respiratory events and blood oxygen saturation decline are more severe in OSA children with obesity. Citation.
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