[Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome in children].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the symptoms most frequently found in children with a polysomnographic diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).


METHODS
We evaluated 38 children consecutively referred to the sleep laboratory with suspicion of OSAHS between June of 2003 and December of 2004. The patients were submitted to a pre-sleep questionnaire and to polysomnography.


RESULTS
The mean age was 7.8 +/- 4 years (range, 2-15 years), and 50% of the children were male. Children without apnea accounted for 7.9% of the sample. The obstructive sleep apnea observed in the remainder was mild in 42.1%, moderate in 28.9% and severe in 22.1%. Severe cases of apnea were most common among children under the age of six (pre-school age). In children with OSAHS, the most common symptoms were snoring and nasal obstruction, which were observed in 74.3 and 72.7% of the children, respectively. Excessive sleepiness and bruxism were seen in 29.4 and 34.3%, respectively, and reflux disease was seen in only 3.1%. Restless legs and difficulty in falling asleep were identified in 65 and 33%, respectively. All of the children diagnosed with severe OSAHS also presented snoring and bruxism.


CONCLUSIONS
Snoring and nasal obstruction were the most common symptoms found in our sample of children and adolescents with OSAHS. In addition, OSAHS severity was associated with being in the lower age bracket.
Gregório
Paloma Baiardi
PB
Instituto Cardiopulmonar, Salvador, BA, Brasil. palomabg@ig.com.br
Athanazio
Rodrigo Abensur
RA
Bitencourt
Almir Galvão Vieira
AG
Neves
Flávia Branco Cerqueira Serra
FB
Terse
Regina
R
Hora
Francisco
F
D000293:Adolescent; D002012:Bruxism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D017286:Polysomnography; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012913:Snoring / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric