Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in children

Abstract

The clinical syndrome of obstructive sleep apnea (OSAS) in children is a distinct, yet somewhat overlapping disorder with the condition that occurs in adults, such that the clinical manifestations, polysomnographic findings, diagnostic criteria and treatment approaches need to be considered in an age-specific manner. Childhood OSAS has now become widely recognized as a frequent disorder and as a major public health problem. Pediatric OSAS, particularly when obesity is concurrently present, is associated with substantial end-organ morbidities and increased healthcare utilization. Although adenotonsillectomy (T&A) remains the first line of treatment, evidence in recent years suggests that the outcomes of this surgical procedure may not be as favorable as expected, such that post-T&A polysomnographic evaluation may be needed, especially in high-risk patient groups. In addition, incorporation of nonsurgical approaches for milder forms of the disorder and for residual OSAS after T&A is now being investigated.

Keywords::

• adenotonsillectomy
• cardiovascular
• children
• neurobehavioral
• obesity
• obstructive sleep apnea
• polysomnography

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Riva Tauman’s research is supported by The Legacy Heritage Clinical Research Initiative of the Israel Science Foundation (grant number 1700/08). David Gozal is supported by National Institutes of Health grants HL065270 and HL086662. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.