because the condition frequently persists and recurs.
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“Current screening recommendations to assess for SDB at a particular age may not be adequate in this population,” the authors of the study stated, adding that “persistence/recurrence of SDB is not easily predicted.”
The study, led by Joy Nehme, BSc, of Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the University of Ottawa, was published in Pediatric Pulmonology.
According to the study, research suggests that 43%-66% of children with Down syndrome have SDB, a category that encompasses sleep apnea (both obstructive and central) and hypoventilation. Those numbers are several times higher than the prevalence of SDB in children in the general population (1%-5%).
“Because SDB is associated with cardiometabolic and neurocognitive morbidity, its prompt and accurate diagnosis is important,” the researchers wrote. However, diagnosis requires a sleep study, which is not always performed although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children with Down syndrome undergo one by age 4.
Treatments include adenotonsillectomy (considered first-line), positive airway pressure, and lingual tonsillectomy.
The study aims to fill in gaps in knowledge about the condition over the long term since “there is little available literature on the trajectory of SDB in children and youth with Down syndrome over time.”
The researchers launched a retrospective study of 560 children with Down syndrome who were treated from 2004 to 2015 at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Of those, 120 showed signs of SDB and underwent sleep studies (48% male, median age 6.6 years [range 4.5-10.5], median total apnea‐hypopnea index events per hour = 3.4 [1.6-10.8]).
Of the 120 children, 67 (56%) had obstructive-mixed SDB, 9 (8%) had central sleep apnea, and 5 (4%) had hypoventilation. The others (39, 32%) had no SDB.
Fifty-four children underwent at least two sleep studies during the period of the study, with at least one undergoing seven.
Researchers found weak, nonsignificant evidence that SDB persistence/occurrence varied by age (odds ratio per year = 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 0.96-1.41; P = .13).
As for treatment, adenotonsillectomy was most common, although “previous studies have ... shown that moderate to severe OSA in children with Down syndrome is likely to persist after a tonsillectomy.”
In regard to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) specifically, the authors wrote, “our study ... showed that OSA‐SDB persisted or recurred in the vast majority of children. Further, persistence/recurrence could not be predicted by clinical features or SDB severity in our study. This, therefore, highlights the need for serial longitudinal screening for SDB in this population and for follow‐up PSG to ensure the success of treatment interventions.”
No study funding was reported. The study authors reported no disclosures.
SOURCE: Nehme J et al. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2019 Jun 6. doi: 10.1002/ppul.24380.