SNORING, APNEIC EPISODES, AND NOCTURNAL HYPOXEMIA AMONG CHILDREN 6 MONTHS TO 6 YEARS OLD - AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC-STUDY OF LOWER LIMIT OF PREVALENCE

Study objective: To identify a lower limit of the prevalence of sleep- related breathing disturbances among preschool children, Design: A cro ss-sectional epidemiologic study in two stages, first by questionnaire s and second by whole-night investigation of children symptomatic of t he sleep apnea syndrome. Setting: Gardabaer, a small town, 10 km south of Reykjavik, Iceland. Participants: All children in Gardabaer, 6 mon ths to 6 years old (n=555). Measurements: Symptom score estimated by q uestionnaire and respiratory events based on overnight oximetry, therm istors, and a static charge sensitive bed. Results: The response rate was 81.8%. Snoring was reported as often or very often among 14 (3.2%) and occasionally by 73 (16.7%). Apneic episodes were reported often o r very often among seven (1.6%). Altogether 18 children were highly su spected of the sleep apnea syndrome because of habitual snoring or apn eic episodes. The girls (n=9) were older than the boys (mean age: 46+/ -21 months vs 20+/-12 months, p<0.001). Eventually 11 children came fo r a whole-night investigation and 8 of them showed more than three res piratory events per hour of sleep, associated with greater than or equ al to 4% oxygen desaturation, The lower limit of the sleep apnea syndr ome prevalence among these children was thus 2.9% (SE, 0.5%). Conclusi ons: Among children, symptoms such as snoring and apneic episodes are reported relatively seldom, but a high proportion of the children with these symptoms have hypoxic respiratory events.