What Age Should Children Have a Sleep Study Done?

Wife and Myself have Sleep Apnea and i have heard that children of OSA patients can be predisposed to the condition especially if both parents have the disorder.We have an 8 year old and he sleeps sound but is hard to tell how he sleeps and was wondering about a study.We lost one child at birth many years ago and it is a constant worry that something might happen to him.Many who have lost children would understand. does anyone have or know of the percentages of children on or needing CPAP Therapy ? thanks

It is true that SA runs in families but if you aren't hearing snoring or gasping, he is probably fine. You could let him nap with your data capable machine and see what it finds.

Or maybe try to borrow a recording pulse oximeter?
That would be much easier on the child.

Thanks for the Replies,I am going to buy an oximeter through cpap.com this week,Excellent idea and should have one around with the both of us on the machines anyway,thanks- Jon

I agree--the oximeter would be the best way to for right now...You don't want to apply pressure to a child's lungs unless you know that he needs it, and a good titration is extremely important for a child...there is too much risk of blowing a pneumothorax in a child if the pressure is too high. If your son isn't fatigued in the daytime, then his sleep is probably fine, but I can understand your worry. The pulse oximeter can give you peace of mind and will alert you if there are problems!!

Birddog, it is great that you are concerned and watching out for your child. The reason OSA might run in families is not that it's generally inherited, but that jaw/facial issues that affect the airway contribute to OSA, and these (the jaw/facial issues) ARE inherited. Some of the things they mention are small lower jaw, lower jaw that is positioned back toward the throat, high arched palate, large soft palate, and narrow, crowded dental arches. If your child has these issues, then not just OSA but other types of sleep-disordered breathing, such as Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) are a possibility.

In UARS, there is no gasping and choking. In many cases, there is NO snoring, either. It's subtle and is based only on flow limitations, not on hypopneas or apneas. However, it can affect the child negatively because it causes sleep fragmentation. (I am concerned that my kids have UARS) And one thing about UARS is that it may not affect oxygenation much at all.

The main symptom of all types of sleep-disordered breathing is daytime sleepiness or fatigue. BUT (and this is a huge BUT) many kids demonstrate fatigue by becoming hyperactive. In fact, the research suggests that a huge number of kids who are diagnosed as hyperactive actually have sleep problems. (In some cases, they don't go to bed on time or haven't been accustomed to a good sleep routine, but in many cases, there is a medical issues such as sleep-disordered breathing)

So the warning signs I would look for in kids:
Daytime fatigue or sleepiness, trouble waking up in the morning
Impulsiveness, poor concentration, physical overactivity, impatience, poor control of emotions, antisocial behavior
Bed-wetting
Parasomnias (sleep disturbances) such as sleep-walking, night terrors, frequent nightmares
Insomnia, waking up in the morning before feeling refreshed but not able to go back to sleep

Has some similarities and some differences from adult sleep-disordered breathing, hm?

I hope we hear from more folks about kids, screening and sleep studies, because I am interested in this topic, too.

Personally, I'd look for the general symptoms. If you're worried, bring it up with your family doctor. People here can help with treatment, but we're not doctors.

interesting question, as I, too come from a long family of snoring men in my family... I think I am the first to actually get it looked at, as I was at the ENT for other reasons.
My son (age 10) does not snore, however my daughter (age 6) does. At a young age she did have her tonsils and adnoids removed; never thought about the necessity of a sleep study for her.

Sort of gets me thinking too... Has anyone researched the correlation between osa and alzeheimers? Not sure if there is in fact one, however it got me thinking (something else that runs in my family) wondering if the decreased oxygen is what (over time) kills the brain cells?

These things you mentioned;

Daytime fatigue or sleepiness, trouble waking up in the morning
Impulsiveness, poor concentration, physical overactivity, impatience, poor control of emotions, antisocial behavior

These are why alot of kids are put on Attention Medicines, My som is perscribed Medate by his pediatrician to help him focus at school and alot of these kids that are medicated in elementary school has me worried about what if some of these kids just have sleep apnea and are being medicated to get through the day instead of addressing the real issues.

Birddog wrote:.......has me worried about what if some of these kids just have sleep apnea and are being medicated to get through the day instead of addressing the real issues.

Birddog,

According to two pediatricians in a practice together, they started screening kids for SDB before prescribing these types of drugs (drugs had been the routine in their practice for years). They have kept records and found that 70% of the kids have SDB. Many of them are being cured of SDB by having their tonsils and adenoids removed. Others are using CPAP.

Of the other 30%, the doctors are finding many have other physical problems which can be addressed.

Drugs for ADD and AD/HD are being inappropriately prescribed at high rates.

Have your kids screened (not PSG) yearly by a pediatrician knowleadgeable about SDB once per year. Learn the warning signs from the forum and watch if they are present in your kids.

It is good that you are watching after them. I do the same for my kids.

Regards,

Rooster
Careful who the hell you are pointing at.

Wait!!!! before you buy an oximeter make sure it has download capabilities and you can get the software for it. Otherwise your would have to sit there all night and watch the numbers on its screen. My recommendation is to talk to your doctor and do what someone else suggested ask for an overnight oximetry, the doctor can fax the order over to a DME company such as lincare or apria and they will do it for free. Laura RRT

What age? First kids do bottles, then braces, then pimples, then girlfriends/boyfriends, then marriage, then a house, then a baby or two. Then worry about apnea, unless they are obese

Billy6 wrote:What age? First kids do bottles, then braces, then pimples, then girlfriends/boyfriends, then marriage, then a house, then a baby or two. Then worry about apnea, unless they are obese

Billy,

That is just flat wrong. There are plenty of normal weight kids and infants with obstructive sleep apnea.

Many of them can be cured by removal of tonsils and adenoids. Others require CPAP or maybe oral appliances.

Age and weight are no clue! I started having sleep breathing problems as an adolescent! (same BMI as now, 20.2) My son is 15, 6 feet tall and weighs 155 lbs (BMI, a whopping 20.7); he's always tired and has the same sleep issues I did at his age. I am pretty sure he has UARS.

Birddog, and anyone else who is wanting their child to be screened for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB):

Remember, there is more to SDB than apnea. Your child may have a problem even if he/she doesn't choke, gasp or obviously stop breathing. And when it comes to polysomnography: even the sleep labs (where there are supposedly trained professionals) can make a mess of an UARS diagnosis. Make sure you mention "Flow Limitations" and "Respiratory Effort Related Arousals" when you talk to your doctor. Read up on the internet so you can advocate. They may tell you your child doesn't have a problem just because he or she doesn't have any apneas or hypopneas. Don't be put off! If you are pretty sure there are sleep issues, keep pursuing it.