It can have an important impact on growth, development, and behavior in affected youth.
What are some of the symptoms associated with sleep apnea in children and adolescents?
What unique treatments exist for these groups?
Stephen Simpson / Getty Images
What Is Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea is characterized by pauses in breathing that occur during sleep.
It affects approximately 1 percent of children.
Obstructive sleep apnea is often due to facial anatomy that contributes to a blockage of the airway.
It may be worsened by allergies, colds, or exposure to tobacco smoke.
Sleep position, especially sleeping on the back, may also increase the occurrence.
Weight gain may also have a role in children who are overweight or obese.
Children should not chronically snore.
Mouth breathing indicates trouble breathing through the nose.
This may be due to nasal congestion from a cold or chronically in the setting of allergies.
Sweaty and restless sleep may be a sign of thrashing and struggling to breathe.
Children may be sleepy during the daytime, but they more likely may become hyperactive and inattentive.
This surgery works extremely well and the success rate is 80 percent.
The procedure lasts one hour and occurs under general anesthesia.
Children return to school in 1 to 2 weeks.
This evaluation may require a referral from your pediatrician or sleep specialist.
When the nose is blocked, mouth breathing is more likely to occur.
This may contribute to the risk of snoring and sleep apnea.
Referral to an allergist can be arranged for other allergy testing or immunotherapy.
Teenagers often visit an orthodontist, but younger children may also benefit from specific treatments.
Rapid maxillary expansion may be used to widen the hard palate and the nasal passage.
This is done with the placement of an adjustable brace at the roof of the mouth by an orthodontist.
This treatment works best in younger children and does not work after the growth spurt ends.
In older children, headgear may be used to advance forward a slowly growing jaw.
This might help when retrognathia is present.
As much as possible, tooth extraction should be avoided.
The presence of the adult teeth will encourage normal growth of the jaw to make room for them.
It may require instruction by a specialized speech therapist.Myofunctional therapyhas little chance of side effects.
There is some evidence that playing woodwind instruments and even the didgeridoo may also be helpful.
After other interventions are made, a sleep study may be useful to reassess the condition.
If it persists, CPAP can be an effective option.
It can be a treatment that is returned to later as needed.
This treatment is 85 percent effective.
The procedure lasts 4 to 5 hours and occurs under general anesthesia.
It may take 6 weeks to recover with some impairment in eating initially.
It is performed by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
This is an option for mild or moderate obstructive sleep apnea.
These fitted appliances are made by a dentist and adjusted over several months.
When worn, the lower jaw and tongue are shifted forward, opening up the back of the airway.
They can also protect teeth enamel from damage related to teeth grinding or clenching.
If problems in the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) are present, this may not be an appropriate therapy.
These changes should be made with the supervision of a pediatrician.
