Abstract
Objectives/Hypothesis To study the correlation between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), obesity, behavior, and quality of life. Study Design Case-control study of pediatric OSA documented by polysomnography at a tertiary-care hospital. Methods Caregivers signed a consent document and completed the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-2) and the 18-item OSA Quality-of-Life Survey (OSA-18) questionnaires. Demographic and polysomnographic data were collected. Children were classified as obese with OSA, normal weight with OSA, or primary snoring ([PS] normal weight, sleep-disordered breathing, no OSA). The correlation between OSA severity and the degree of obesity as well as behavior and quality of life were compared among the three groups. A P value ≤.05 was considered significant. Results Seventy-three patients were included in the study. Thirty-five children were obese with OSA (48%), 21 were of normal weight with OSA (29%), and 17 were considered PS (23%). There was no linear correlation between the degree of obesity and OSA severity. Apnea/hypopnea index was significantly higher for OSA-obese versus OSA-normal weight children (20.0 vs. 9.0, P =.02). The OSA-18 total score and BASC-2 mean score was worse for the OSA-obese than the OSA-normal group (P =.01 for both). There was no difference in quality-of-life scores or behavioral scores between the OSA-normal and PS groups. Conclusions The degree of obesity does not linearly predict OSA severity in children. Obese children have worse OSA, behavioral problems, and quality of life than normal-weight children. In normal-weight children with OSA or PS, behavior and quality-of-life scores are similar regardless of the severity of the sleep disorder.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1289-1293 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Laryngoscope |
Volume | 123 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2013 |
Keywords
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- behavior
- quality of life
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Otorhinolaryngology