Symptoms of sleep apnea and polysomnography as predictors of poor quality of life in overweight children and adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between quality of life (QOL) and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as well as objectively measured severity of OSA using polysomnography (PSG) in a cohort of overweight and at risk for overweight children and adolescents.


METHODS
One hundred and fifty-one overweight subjects [90 males, average ages of 12.52, mean body mass index (BMI) Z-score of 2.27) and their parent/guardian completed surveys assessing QOL and symptoms of OSA syndrome. The subjects also underwent overnight PSG.


RESULTS
Overweight patients reported poor QOL. Polysomnographic variables did not correlate with QOL. However, symptoms of OSA as reported on the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire significantly correlated with QOL from both the parent and the subject.


CONCLUSIONS
Overweight youth with symptoms of OSA have a lower QOL both by their report and parental report. Interestingly, objective measures of OSA did not correlate with QOL.
Carno
Margaret-Ann
MA
School of Nursing, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Ave Box SON, Rochester, NY 14642, USA. margaret_carno@urmc.rochester.edu
Ellis
Ethan
E
Anson
Elizabeth
E
Kraus
Rachel
R
Black
Jonathan
J
Short
Renee
R
Connolly
Heidi V
HV
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires