Abstract
BackgroundObstructive apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep: breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow despite effort. The purpose of this study was to test if osteopathy could influence the incidence of obstructive apnea during sleep in infants.MethodsThirty-four healthy infants (age: 1.5–4.0 months) were recruited and randomized in two groups; six infants dropped out. The osteopathy treatment group (n = 15 infants) received 2 osteopathic treatments in a period of 2 weeks and a control group (n = 13 infants) received 2 non-specific treatments in the same period of time. The main outcome measure was the change in the number of obstructive apneas measured during an 8-hour polysomnographic recording before and after the two treatment sessions.ResultsThe results of the second polysomnographic recordings showed a significant decrease in the number of obstructive apneas in the osteopathy group (p = 0.01, Wilcoxon test), in comparison to the control group showing only a trend suggesting a gradual physiologic decrease of obstructive apneas. However, the difference in the decline of obstructive apneas between the groups after treatment was not significant (p = 0.43).ConclusionOsteopathy may have a positive influence on the incidence of obstructive apneas during sleep in infants with a previous history of obstructive apneas as measured by polysomnography. Additional research in this area appears warranted.
Highlights
The aim of the study was to measure the impact of osteopathic treatment on the incidence of obstructive apnea in infants
The infants were recruited from a broad population of children younger than 4 months who tested positive according to a polysomnographic test, which is known to be a reliable and reproducible diagnostic tool for obstructive apnea [1]
Participation in this study was proposed to all parents of infants in whom the 8-hour polysomnographic recording revealed more than 3 obstructive apneas [2]
Summary
The aim of the study was to measure the impact of osteopathic treatment on the incidence of obstructive apnea in infants. Obstructive apnea is a pathologic finding, and is in some infants related to a risk for sudden infant death. The infants were recruited from a broad population of children younger than 4 months who tested positive according to a polysomnographic test, which is known to be a reliable and reproducible diagnostic tool for obstructive apnea [1]. Obstructive apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep: breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow despite effort. The purpose of this study was to test if osteopathy could influence the incidence of obstructive apnea during sleep in infants
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