title: Sleep apnoea in the child.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a condition causing repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction during sleep, leading to hypoxia and/or sleep disturbance. OSA affects 1-5% of children and has important implications for learning, behaviour and cardiovascular health.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this article is to provide a suggested approach to case finding and treatment of OSA for general practitioners.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Snoring or noisy breathing during sleep is the cardinal symptom of OSA, and should be specifically sought in children with disturbed sleep, nasal obstruction and large tonsils. Multi-channel physiological recording in a paediatric sleep laboratory is available to formally define the condition. Treatment with adenotonsillectomy usually leads to improvements in key domains. Milder disease may respond to intranasal steroids or anti-inflammatory agents.
authors.affiliation: MBChB, MD, FRACP, Paediatric Respiratory and Sleep Physician, Department of Paediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC; Melbourne Children's Sleep Centre, Monash Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC; The Ritchie Centre, MIMR-PHI Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC.
authors.forename: Gillian M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Nixon
authors.forename: Margot
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davey
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D058006:General Practice; D006801:Humans; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D012913:Snoring / Q000209:etiology