Study: Test young children with Down syndrome for OSA
By HME News Staff
Updated Sun April 23, 2006
CINCINNATI - Young children with Down syndrome have a high incidence of obstructive sleep apnea, but their parents are ill equipped to detect the disorder, according to a recent journal article.
As a result, researchers recommend baseline polysomnograms for children ages 3 to 4.
After performing PSGs on 56 children between four and 63 months of age, researchers found that 57% of the children had abnormal results and evidence of OSA. Using an elevated arousal index associated with increased difficult in breathing, 80% of the children had abnormal results.
In a questionnaire prior to testing, however, 69% of parents reported no sleep problems in their children, according to the April issue of Archives of Otolaryngology--Head & Neck Surgery. Of the parents who reported sleep problems in their children, only 36% had abnormal results.
Researchers conducted the study over five years.
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