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. 2022 May 12;45(5):zsac035.
doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsac035. Epub 2022 Feb 12.

Neurobehavioral morbidity of pediatric mild sleep-disordered breathing and obstructive sleep apnea

Phoebe K Yu  1   2 , Jerilynn Radcliffe  3 , H Gerry Taylor  4 , Raouf S Amin  5 , Cristina M Baldassari  6 , Thomas Boswick  6 , Ronald D Chervin  7 , Lisa M Elden  8 , Susan L Furth  9 , Susan L Garetz  10 , Alisha George  5 , Stacey L Ishman  11   12 , Erin M Kirkham  10 , Christopher Liu  13 , Ron B Mitchell  13   14 , S Kamal Naqvi  14 , Carol L Rosen  4 , Kristie R Ross  15 , Jay R Shah  16 , Ignacio E Tapia  9 , Lisa R Young  9 , David A Zopf  10 , Rui Wang  1 , Susan Redline  1   17
Affiliations

Neurobehavioral morbidity of pediatric mild sleep-disordered breathing and obstructive sleep apnea

Phoebe K Yu et al. Sleep. .

Abstract

Study objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with neurobehavioral dysfunction, but the relationship between disease severity as measured by the apnea-hypopnea index and neurobehavioral morbidity is unclear. The objective of our study is to compare the neurobehavioral morbidity of mild sleep-disordered breathing versus obstructive sleep apnea.

Methods: Children 3-12 years old recruited for mild sleep-disordered breathing (snoring with obstructive apnea-hypopnea index < 3) into the Pediatric Adenotonsillectomy Trial for Snoring were compared to children 5-9 years old recruited for obstructive sleep apnea (obstructive apnea-hypopnea 2-30) into the Childhood Adenotonsillectomy Trial. Baseline demographic, polysomnographic, and neurobehavioral outcomes were compared using univariable and multivariable analysis.

Results: The sample included 453 participants with obstructive sleep apnea (median obstructive apnea-hypopnea index 5.7) and 459 participants with mild sleep-disordered breathing (median obstructive apnea-hypopnea index 0.5). By polysomnography, participants with obstructive sleep apnea had poorer sleep efficiency and more arousals. Children with mild sleep-disordered breathing had more abnormal executive function scores (adjusted odds ratio 1.96, 95% CI 1.30-2.94) compared to children with obstructive sleep apnea. There were also elevated Conners scores for inattention (adjusted odds ratio 3.16, CI 1.98-5.02) and hyperactivity (adjusted odds ratio 2.82, CI 1.83-4.34) in children recruited for mild sleep-disordered breathing.

Conclusions: Abnormal executive function, inattention, and hyperactivity were more common in symptomatic children recruited into a trial for mild sleep-disordered breathing compared to children recruited into a trial for obstructive sleep apnea. Young, snoring children with only minimally elevated apnea-hypopnea levels may still be at risk for deficits in executive function and attention.

Trial registration: Pediatric Adenotonsillectomy for Snoring (PATS), NCT02562040; Childhood Adenotonsillectomy Trial (CHAT), NCT00560859.

Keywords: behavior; neurocognition; obstructive sleep apnea; pediatric; sleep-disordered breathing.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Distribution of BRIEF scores in PATS (mSDB cohort) compared to CHAT (OSA cohort).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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