BLOOD-PRESSURE IN CHILDREN WITH OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP-APNEA

Hypertension is a common complication of obstructive sleep apnea in ad ults. However, hypertension has not been studied systematically in chi ldren with the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), We therefore m easured blood pressure (BP) during polysomnography in 41 children with OSAS, compared to 26 children with primary snoring (PS), Systolic and diastolic BP were measured every 15 min via an appropriately sized ar m cuff, using an automated system. This was tolerated by the children without inducing arousals from sleep. Children with OSAS had a signifi cantly higher diastolic BP than those with PS (p < 0.001 for sleep and p < 0.005 for wakefulness). There was no significant difference in sy stolic BP between the two groups. Multiple linear regression showed th at blood pressure could be predicted by apnea index, body mass index, and age. Blood pressure during sleep was lower than during wakefulness (p < 0.001 for diastole and p < 0.01 for systole), but did not differ significantly between rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep, We conclude that childhood OSAS is associated with systemic diastolic hyp ertension.