Clinical Predictors of Pediatric OSAHS

Clinical Predictors of Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome

The purpose of this study is to develop adequate and satisfactory tools using reliable clinical and physical factors in predicting pediatric obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and allow greater access to appropriate therapy in children.

The prevalence of OSAHS is estimated to be about 1% to 4% in children, however, it is frequently underdiagnosed because of the difficulties for evaluation.Current diagnostic approaches are based on the patient's history, clinical presentation and physical examination, endoscopy, and radiological imaging examinations, and confirmation is made by the current gold standard of full-night polysomnography (PSG). Previous studies have reported the use of a clinical history, physical examination and questionnaires for predicting pediatric OSAHS but there were lacking of adequate and satisfactory results. Despite the potential diagnostic benefits, PSG for pediatric patients are not routinely used in clinical practice. Therefore, to obtain a reliable, valid, and easily-performed diagnostic or screening tool for the clinical assessment of pediatric OSAHS is essential for the cost-effective care of these patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• children (younger than 18 years old and older than 2 years old) with symptoms of snoring and then were confirmed to having obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome by a comprehensive polysomnography

Exclusion Criteria:

• patients with substance abuse problems or the long-term usage of medications known to affect sleep, craniofacial abnormalities or neuromuscular disorders, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, mucopolysaccharidoses, Prader-Willi syndrome, history of psychosis, central sleep apnea syndrome, or previous airway surgery including tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy were excluded from the study.