title: Obstructive sleep apnea in children with cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
abstract: To examine the risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and/or epilepsy.
  
  
  
  This cross-sectional study employs the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ), the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), and chart review to identify symptoms of OSA in children presenting to a multi-specialty pediatric healthcare institution.
  
  
  
  Two-hundred and fifteen patients were grouped into those with epilepsy (n=54), CP (n=18), both (n=55), and neither (comparison group, n=88). The comparison group comprised children with developmental disabilities but not children with typical development. Significantly increased PSQ scores (indicating increased risk of OSA) were found among children with CP (58%) and CP with epilepsy (67%) than among the comparison group (27%; p<0.001 and p<0.0001 respectively). Children with both CP and epilepsy had a greater number of increased PSQ scores compared with CP alone (p<0.05). Increased PSQ scores were observed with increasing CP severity as measured using the GMFCS. The PSQ identified more children at risk of OSA (46%) than did the medical record review for symptoms of OSA (8.2%, p<0.001).
  
  
  
  Children with CP of greater severity or comorbid epilepsy are at increased risk of OSA. This study supports the routine questionnaire-based assessment for OSA as a regular part of the care of all children with CP, especially in those with more severe CP and those with epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, Saint Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, Saint Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Beverly
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wical
authors.affiliation: Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, Saint Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wical
authors.affiliation: Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, Saint Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Leah
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schaffer
authors.affiliation: Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, Saint Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wical
authors.affiliation: Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, Saint Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wendorf
authors.affiliation: Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, Saint Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roiko
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012306:Risk; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*