Obstructive Sleep Apnea
OSA is one of the most common and serious sleep disorders that occur in children. However, OSA can affect anybody (and at any time) during life. It tends to be much more common in children and adults who are overweight.
Please ask yourself the following questions...
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Does your child snore? If so, how often and how loudly?
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Do you ever see your child stop breathing during sleep?
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Is your child restless during sleep or does he/she assume any unusual sleep positions?
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Does your child wet the bed?
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Does your child exhibit signs of being excessively sleepy during the day? (i.e. does he/she fall asleep in the car?
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Does your child complain of headaches in the morning?
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Does you child often breathe with his/her mouth open?
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Is your child having difficulty with schoolwork or relationships?
Complications of obstructive sleep apnea strike the heart and nervous system, and can even result in death. No age is too young or too old to be affected with this extremely serious medical condition. Often, several members of the same family can be affected and not know it, even parents!!!
Children and adults who are overweight are at especially high risk for OSA. In adults, complications of OSA account for over 50,000 car accidents each year, countless work-related accidents, and poor mental performance on the job!
OSA is defined by pauses (stoppages) in the breathing pattern during sleep. These pauses in sleep can occur as often at 30 or more times per hour. When breathing is interrupted during sleep, the oxygen level in the brain will fall to dangerously low levels. The low level of oxygen causes the child or adult to partially awaken (although he or she will generally not remember this) in order to breathe normally. Because of these frequent interruptions, the child or adult never gets a good night's sleep.
In addition to low oxygen in the brain, OSA causes an increase in the carbon dioxide level in the blood. This can cause serious problems such as failure to grow in small children, heart failure in older children and adults, delayed mental development, and even death in some cases. The
length of the sleep interruption doesn't need to be very long: young children have had serious problems caused by frequent stoppages lasting only 3 to 4 seconds each!
The following are some of the symptoms of OSA. Remember, not all of theses symptoms have to be present for OSA to be a problem!
- Restlessness and unusual sleep positions
- Poor school performance (often mis-diagnosed as ADD)
- Excessive daytime sleepiness (i.e., tends to fall asleep in the car)
- Bed-wetting
- Frequent morning headaches
- Snoring
- Increased blood pressure
- Mouth breathing during the daytime
- Hyperactivity/aggressive behavior
OSA is diagnosed with an overnight sleep apnea study performed in a sleep lab. The oxygen and carbon dioxide levels of the blood, plus the child's brain wave patterns are measured painlessly. The results are analyzed by a sleep disorders specialist to determine if the child has interrupted breathing patterns and evidence of low brain oxygen during sleep.
Treatment for OSA is best discussed with a sleep disorders specialist who can prescribe the right treatment plan for the child. If the child is overweight, then weight reduction or control is one of the most valuable therapies to treat the problem. However, several other new therapies are also available.
Remember…your body will not change overnight but every change you make can improve your health!
Contact Information
The Driscoll Children’s Hospital Diabetes Team:
Jennifer Amaral
Endocrinology and DiabetesStephen W. Ponder, M.D. C.D.E.
Endocrinology and DiabetesSusan Sullivan, RN, CDE
Phyllis Secraw, RN, DE
Melissa Claire, RN, DE
Meaghan Wickersham, RDChildren's Diabetes and Endocrine Center
4th Floor in the Joseph M. Sloan Building
3533 S. Alameda St.
Corpus Christi, TX 78411
Clinic appointments: (361) 694-4986
Business Office: (361) 694-4864
Office Fax: (361) 694-4832
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Corpus Christi, Texas
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