Home CPAP/NIV in pediatric patients: which disorders?

The 2019 French national survey showed that 1447 children were treated with long-term continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or noninvasive ventilation (NIV). Data about the pediatric disorders that require CPAP or NIV are scarce. The aim of the study was to report, for CPAP and NIV, the detail of the different disorders, according to age categories, based on the 2019 national survey.

Age at CPAP/NIV initiation was categorized as follow: 0-2, 3-5, 6-10 and ≥ 11 years old. The number of children was also reported for each age category.

Children <3 years old were the most frequently treated by CPAP/NIV. Down syndrome and Robin sequence were the most common disorders requiring CPAP in this age group, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and Down syndrome between 3 and 5 years old, and obesity and OSAS from ≥6 years old. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) types 1 and 2 were the most common disorders requiring NIV at < 3 years old, SMA type 2 between 3 and 10 years old, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) from ≥11 years old. Overall, Down syndrome represented one of the most common disorders for which CPAP was started at any age. SMA type 2 was one of the most common disorders for which NIV was started at any age.

Obesity, Down syndrome, OSAS, SMA type 2, and DMD represented the most common disorders treated with home CPAP/NIV in France. These data may change with the emergence of innovative therapies for rare diseases.