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Published on: December 22, 2016

Association Between Pulmonary Function Parameters and Apnea Hypopnea Index in Asthmatic Children Living at High

María Isabel Escamilla1, Diego Fernando Severiche-Bueno1, Jennifer Benavides2

  • 1Department of Sleep Medicine, Fundación Neumológica Colombiana, Bogotá, Colombia.

Canadian Respiratory Journal
|August 18, 2026
PubMed

Insights

In children with asthma living at high altitudes, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity was linked to reduced lung function. Specifically, higher apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) correlated with lower FEV1 and increased airway resistance.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • High-Altitude Physiology

Background:

  • Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is linked to worse asthma control and increased exacerbations in children.
  • The impact of sleep-disordered breathing severity on pulmonary function in high-altitude dwelling pediatric asthma patients remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between obstructive sleep apnea severity and pulmonary function in children with asthma living at high altitude.
  • To analyze the relationship between apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and spirometry/oscillometry parameters in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of 64 children (3-12 years) with asthma at high altitude (Bogotá, Colombia).
  • Overnight polysomnography (PSG) for sleep-disordered breathing assessment.
  • Spirometry and oscillometry for pulmonary function testing.
  • Spearman correlation analysis to evaluate associations.

Main Results:

  • Airway resistance at 5 Hz (R5) inversely correlated with AHI and obstructive AHI (OAHI) both before and after bronchodilator use.
  • Post-bronchodilator FEV1 showed a negative correlation with OAHI.
  • No significant associations were found between OSA severity and asthma severity, BMI, or nocturnal oxygen saturation.

Conclusions:

  • An association exists between the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and FEV1 in high-altitude dwelling asthmatic children.
  • Findings on the relationship between AHI and airway resistance (R5) were contradictory, warranting further investigation.
Abstract

Keywords:
asthmachildrenobstructive sleep apnearespiratory function tests

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