Children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) don't just experience snoring and interruptions during sleep. OSA is linked to a variety of problems during waking hours, too, including emotional, learning, and academic problems. Researchers from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn studied whether treating sleep apnea made a difference in the lives of the kids with the condition.
The parents of 42 2- to 14-year-old children who'd already been diagnosed with OSA completed several questionnaires about their child's behavior. All of the children in the study were scheduled to have their tonsils and/or adenoids removed to treat OSA. The surveys contained questions about the child's performance and behavior in school, at home, and in other social situations. Parents noted whether their children were anxious, depressed, and withdrawn, or whether their children were aggressive or destructive. They also reported whether their child had sleep problems, whether their child complained of other health issues like headaches or abdominal pain, and their concerns about their child's health. Each parent completed a survey before and after their child had surgery, so researchers could assess how the child's behavior changed after treatment. Then the researchers compared the results of the children with OSA to the results of a group of children undergoing elective surgery, but without breathing problems, whose parents had also filled out questionnaires.
Before the surgery, 29% of children with OSA had high levels of behavioral and emotional problems; after the surgery, only 12% of children with OSA had high levels of emotional and behavioral problems. In contrast, 10% of children without sleep-related breathing problems had high levels of behavioral and emotional problems prior to surgery; after surgery, 20% of the kids without OSA had high levels of behavioral and emotional problems. Overall, kids with OSA showed significant improvement in their quality of life after surgery, compared to kids without sleep-related breathing problems.
What This Means to You: The results of this study suggest that behavior problems in children with OSA may improve after surgical treatment for the condition. If you notice that your child is snoring regularly, has labored or noisy breathing during sleep, is sleepy during the day, or has begun having behavioral problems, talk to your child's doctor. Your child may need to be evaluated and treated for a sleep disorder like OSA.
Source: Khoa D. Tran, MD; Cuong D. Nguyen, BA; Jeremy Weedon, PhD; Nira A. Goldstein, MD; Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, January 2005
Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: March 2005
