Surgery effective in treating pediatric obstructive sleep apnea

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Reviewed

Jun 1 2009

Infants and young toddlers with obstructive sleep apnea and sleep disordered breathing experience significant improvement following surgical treatment of the ailment, according to an invited article in the June 2009 issue of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

The study evaluated 73 cases in which children younger than two years old were treated for obstructive sleep apnea through the removal of the adenoids, tonsils, or both (adenotonsillectomy). Those treated through surgery experienced significant improvement on the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), an index that measures the severity of sleep apnea. Those treated medically, but not surgically, exhibited no improvement after treatment. The study's authors also concluded that the rate and types of post-surgical complications were within acceptable levels.

Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in children, from infancy through puberty, while similar to adult sleep apnea, actually has different causes, consequences, and treatments. A child with SDB does not necessarily have this condition when they become an adult. The consequences of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea include snoring; sleep deprivation (which can cause moodiness and behavioral issues); abnormal urine production; slowed growth and development; and attention deficit and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders.

Source:

http://www.entnet.org

Posted in: Medical Condition News

Tags: Adenotonsillectomy, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Breathing, Children, Hyperactivity, Neck, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Otolaryngology, Pediatrics, Puberty, Sleep, Sleep Apnea, Snoring, Surgery, Tonsil

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Before surgery...

Steve says:

February 17, 2010 at 6:41 PM

Before you do surgery (non-reversible) you should consider this. There really is a better way to deal with sleep apnea than CPAP or surgery. I spent 4 years studying sleep apnea and I believe that the root cause is due to the attenuation of the signal from the brain to the diaphragm muscles when the sleeper enters stage II sleep. This un-intended side-effect of the "reduction of muscle tonus" that occurs during this transition causes breathing to stop. Then, when the CO2 level gets too high, the sleeper makes a rapid inhalation DRAGGING the soft tissue into the airway, obstructing it and waking them up. The reduction of the signal from the brain is causing the problem.
So... I found this herbal combination product that INCREASES the signal and keeps the breathing going. This addresses the root cause so you don’t make a rapid inhalation and drag the sagging tissues into the airway. The stuff is called Sleep Apnea Relief and I buy it from Nature's Rite. I've been using it for 4 years and it is really great. So you don't have to use CPAP. I just wanted to let you know.

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