Why your child can't sleep well at night?

Obesity is known to be one of the contributing factors in sleep apnoea. Unfortunately, in the UAE, this does not exclude children. Due to the alarming number of children now known to be suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), this is the main driving force behind educational campaigns around the condition.

Experts suggest that children suffering from OSA may not produce enough growth hormone, resulting in abnormally slow growth and development. It may also cause the body to have increased resistance to insulin or daytime fatigue with decreases in physical activity. These factors can contribute to obesity. The condition can be associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure or other heart and lung problems.

“Children suffering from sleep apnoea will exhibit behaviour such as hyperactivity, decreased focus and concentration and lowered executive function; these are just the short term effects. In the long run they may suffer from diminished intelligent quotient (IQ) and school performance,” says Dr Stacey Ishman from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre, USA.

Some of the potential long-term effects of untreated paediatric sleep disorder breathing is that children develop loud snoring, moody, inattentive, and disruptive behaviour both at home and at school. Sleep disorder breathing can also be a contributing factor to attention deficit disorders in some children and increased night-time urine production, which may lead to bedwetting.

Dr Ishman and Dr Michael Oko from the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust & Department of Health, UK, will be discussing the incidence of sleep apnoea in children and how the condition should be managed at the 11th Middle East Update in Otolaryngology Conference & Exhibition – Head and Neck Surgery (ME-OTO) from the April 20-22, 2014, in Dubai.

“OSA is still a massive emerging issue in the UAE along with rising obesity levels; the UAE needs a body like NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) to recommend with authority clinically effective treatments for its own population. Education about health should start in schools with advice about diet and exercise,” says Dr Oko.

According to Dr Ishman,” As far as treatment options are concerned, similar to children who have healthy weight, obese children often undergo adenotonsillectomy as first-line treatment which is quite effective. In addition, weight loss is often necessary to fully treat the OSA. If these measures are not adequate, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and extended surgery – similar to some adult surgery procedures – are considered.”
 

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