title: Obstructive sleep apnea in Asian primary school children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objectives of this study were to examine the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in primary school children, relationships between OSA and tonsillar hypertrophy, adenoid, and patency of the nasal cavity, and the effects of the tonsillar hypertrophy and adenoid on the nasal patency.
  
  
  METHODS
  An examination of the palatine tonsils and anterior rhinoscopy, completion of a questionnaire survey, a measurement of nasal resistance, an examination for sleep apnea at home using portable polysomnography device, and radiography of pharyngeal tonsil were performed in 152 primary school children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The obstructive apnea hypopnea index (O-AHI) increased with enlargements in the palatine tonsils. The adenoidal nasopharyngeal ratio (A/N ratio) decreased with advances in grade. A significant difference was observed in the O-AHI between those with and without adenoid. The median value of the O-AHI increased with advances in grade. The nasal resistance was significantly higher in the group with adenoid compared as in the group without. It was also higher in the nasal disease group with OSA than in the group without. Full polysomnography(PSG) was recommended in 16 (10.5%) of 152 who underwent the examination using the portable polysomnography device, and of the eight who underwent PSG, six (75%) were confirmed to have OSA, while its prevalence in all subjects was estimated as 7.9%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Disturbances in nasal respiration as well as tonsillar hypertrophy and adenoid were found to be a risk factor of OSA in primary school children.
authors.affiliation: Sleep Disordered Breathing Center, Ayagawa National Health Insurance Sue Hospital, 1720-1 Sue, Ayagawa-cho, Ayauta-gun, Kagawa, 761-2103, Japan, koryuichi@kzc.biglobe.ne.jp.
authors.forename: Ryuichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Soichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karaki
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoshikawa
authors.forename: Seiichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakata
authors.forename: Hirotaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Takuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Nozomu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mori
mesh_terms: D000234:Adenoids / Q000473:pathology; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D044466:Asian People; D002648:Child; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000473:pathology; D017286:Polysomnography; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*