Sleep-disordered breathing symptoms frequency and growth among prematurely born infants

Abstract

Background Children who were born prematurely are at higher risk for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) compared to their same-age peers who were born fullterm. Objective The objective of the present study was to assess the frequency of SDB symptoms and effects on growth among preterm infants while they are still infants, with a goal of identifying risk factors to facilitate prevention and early intervention. Methods The Louisville pediatric SDB risk survey was administered to the primary caretakers of prematurely born infants attending the Neonatal Follow-Up Clinic at West Virginia University Children’s Hospital. Results Participation was 100% among 173 consecutive patients invited to participate in the study. At 9.13 months corrected age, 8.1% of infants born at a mean of 31.6 weeks gestation were reported to snore ⩾3 days/week, a rate consistent with diagnosis of sleep-disordered breathing among older children. A composite of nine parent-reported symptoms was created based on factor analysis. Birth weight and size for gestational age at birth did not differ between snoring groups or correlate with the composite score. But a significant negative correlation between the composite risk for SDB score and current weight for adjusted age percentile score indicate that infants with higher SDB symptom profiles have lower weight for age ( r = −.18, p = .028). Conclusions SDB symptoms are detectable among infants born preterm, while they are still infants. Because of their preferential risk for SDB and its somatic consequences, a primary research goal should be description of the natural history of SDB and identification of modifiable risk factors and treatment options.