title: Sleep-disordered breathing and pulmonary function in obese children and adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Obese children have an increased risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) compared to normal-weight children. In obese children, OSAS is more frequently associated with oxygen desaturations, which might be caused by pulmonary function abnormalities. Our goal was to investigate the association between OSAS and pulmonary function in obese children and adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  There were 185 children included and distributed in groups based on their obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (151 controls, 20 mild OSAS, and 14 moderate-to-severe OSAS). All subjects underwent polysomnography and pulmonary function testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several differences in pulmonary function were observed between groups. Vital capacity (VC) and forced expired volume in 1s (FEV1) were significantly decreased in patients with moderate-to-severe OSAS, as were expiratory reserve volume (ERV), total lung capacity, and functional residual capacity (FRC). Correlations between FEV1, FRC, and ERV with OSAS severity remained significant independent of the degree of adiposity. Correlations between FEV1/VC and sleep-related respiratory parameters did not persist after correction for adiposity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An association between awake pulmonary function and sleep-related respiratory parameters could be observed in our population of obese children. These results suggest that OSAS severity is correlated with a diminished lung function. However, the level of obesity remains an important confounding factor in both OSAS severity and pulmonary function.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: Annelies.vaneyck@uantwerpen.be.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Eyck
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Pediatrics, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Hoorenbeeck
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: B Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: De Winter
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Gaal
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Pulmonology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: De Backer
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Pediatrics, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Verhulst
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005105:Expiratory Reserve Volume; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D005652:Functional Residual Capacity; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017286:Polysomnography; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014109:Total Lung Capacity; D014797:Vital Capacity
keywords: Adolescents; Children; Obesity; Obstructive sleep apnea; Pulmonary function tests; Sleep-disordered breathing