title: Associations between adenotonsillar hypertrophy, age, and obesity in children with obstructive sleep apnea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the contributions of adenoid and tonsil size to childhood obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the interactions between adenotonsillar hypertrophy, age, and obesity in children with OSA.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 495 symptomatic patients were recruited. The patients were assigned to four groups according to age: toddler (age 1-3, n=42), preschool (age 3-6, n=164), school (age 6-12, n=200), and adolescence (age 12-18, n=89). All subjects had tonsil size graded by otolaryngologists, adenoid size determined on lateral radiographs (Fujioka method), and a full-night polysomnography. The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), adenoid size, and tonsil size were compared in obese and non-obese children in the four age groups. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of adenotonsillar hypertrophy and OSA risk were estimated by multi-logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The AHI was positively related to tonsil grade (r=0.33, p <0.001) and adenoid size (r=0.24, p <0.01) in all patients. Tonsil grade was positively related to AHI in all four age groups. Adenoid size was positively related to AHI in the toddler, preschool, school groups, but not in the adolescent group (r=0.11, p=0.37). Tonsil grade and adenoid size were both positively related to AHI in obese and non-obese children. In the regression model, obesity (OR=2.89; 95% CI 1.47-5.68), tonsillar hypertrophy (OR=3.15; 95% CI 2.04-4.88), and adenoidal hypertrophy (OR=1.89; 95% CI 1.19-3.00) significantly increased OSA risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adenotonsillar hypertrophy and obesity are the major determinants of OSA in children. However, the influence of adenoid size decreases in adolescence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. ; Department of Otolaryngology, Taipei Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, New Taipei City, Taiwan, R.O.C. ; Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Kun-Tai
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Chen-Han
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Wen-Chin
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.forename: Pei-Lin
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Wei-Chung
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Hsu
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy / Q000150:complications; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D009929:Organ Size; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000473:pathology*; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000150:complications*