Abstract

Abstract Introduction Children with severe and poorly controlled asthma have a higher predisposition for sleep disordered breathing (SDB). It can lead to cardiovascular, neurocognitive, and behavioral problems. Variable data exists currently whether demographic factors like age, sex, obesity, adeno-tonsillar hypertrophy tend to increase the risk of SDB in asthmatics. Our objective was to evaluate the risk factors and prevalence of SDB in asthmatics as compared to non - asthmatics and describe the polysomnographic parameters in asthmatics with SDB. Methods Asthmatic and non - asthmatic children aged 5 – 15 years, were recruited in this case – control study. Parameters like age, gender, body mass index, adeno-tonsillar hypertrophy, and the history of snoring were compared. All participants completed the Sleep-Related Breathing Disorder scale, extracted from the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (SDBS-PSQ) and prevalence of risk of SDB (defined as SDBS - PSQ ≥ 0.33) was calculated. A subset of asthmatics with risk of SDB underwent polysomnography, and subjects were classified into no, mild, moderate, and severe SDB [based on apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≤1, 1-5, 5-10, and ≥10, respectively]. Results 120 children, with 60 asthmatics were included. Amongst asthmatic group, 61.7% were male and mean age was 9.51 ± 2.50 years. Risk of SDB was significantly higher in asthmatics compared to non - asthmatics (18.33% vs 1.67%, p = 0.001; with mean SDBS-PSQ score 0.14 ± 0.17 vs 0.05 ± 0.08, p = 0.001). History of snoring was reported in 25% of asthmatic children versus 11.7% in non – asthmatics (p> 0.05). Other parameters were similar in both the groups (p> 0.05). Of the 11 asthmatics with risk of SDB, 10 underwent polysomnography. 9 patients (15% of asthmatics) were diagnosed with SDB, with a mean AHI of 4.21 ± 3.28, mean total sleep time of 279.23 ± 57.69 minutes and mean arousal index of 10.23 ± 8.67. In this subset, 60% had mild SDB. Conclusion Prevalence of SDB is higher in asthmatics, compared to general population. SDBS-PSQ is a useful screening tool for diagnosing SDB and should be incorporated in the daily practice, the gold standard being polysomnography. Further studies would help in a better understanding of SDB spectrum in children. Support (If Any) Nil

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