title: Parental perceptions of sleep disturbances and sleep-disordered breathing in children with Down syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Children with Down syndrome (DS) have increased difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS), excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). As part of a quality improvement initiative, parents of children enrolled in the Children's Hospital Boston Down Syndrome Program were surveyed about their child's sleep and breathing patterns while asleep.
  
  
  METHODS
  An anonymous Internet-based questionnaire was used in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The completion rate was 46.5% (255/548). DIMS and EDS were frequently/almost always present in more than half the children. Among parents unconcerned about their child's breathing, 11.8% witnessed apnea and 4.2% gasping/choking more than once monthly. Parents of children status post adenotonsillectomy (AT) reported witnessed apnea (47.5%), gasping/choking (28.9%) more than once monthly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is room for improved screening of sleep disturbances, OSA in children with DS. The high frequency of persistence of OSA following AT should prompt for continued screening following AT.
authors.affiliation: Division of Respiratory Diseases, Children’s Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. dennis.rosen@childrens.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lombardo
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Skotko
authors.forename: Emily Jean
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Davidson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology; D001900:Boston; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000209:etiology*; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D055815:Young Adult