Obstructive sleep apnea in children

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a sleeping disorder that is distinguished by gap in the pattern of breathing during sleeping period. The pause of breathing generally occurs due to blockage in nasal zone. The enlarged growth of tonsils and adenoids obstruct the airway during sleep. It is a common problem in children, and is increasing being diagnosed as a cause of excessive daytime sleepiness and obstructed breathing while sleeping. However snoring is a most common symptom in children with this problem. Up to 6-12 percent of children snore whereas number of children that are affected by sleep apnea is 2 to 10 percent.

Apart from uninterrupted snoring there are many symptoms of the sleeping disorder such as restless sleep, breathing through mouth, behavioral problems, hyperactive behavior, nightmares, bedwetting, headaches after awake, excessive daytime sleeping, overweight or underweight, problem in concentration and others.

The evidence of enlarge tonsils, adenoids (adenotonsillar hypertrophy) and breathing through mouth. It is diagnosed by the pediatric ENT. Obstructive sleep apnea in children is more complicated to identify and diagnose. A patient usually go through the sleep test identify sleep apnea called polysomnography. It is a kind of pediatric study. It is an overnight test that involves supervising the waves of brain, muscle tension, breathing process, audio monitoring, movement of eye, blood oxygen level.

In the second type, the child has on alike monitors but only difference is that, he or she sleeps in own bed. While sleeping study a several testing occurs to evaluate the sleep apnea, such as brain functionality, muscle activity, oxygen level in blood, movement of chest and abdominal wall, ratio of air taken through mouth and nose.

Children with Sleep apnea, removing tonsils or adenoids doesn’t provide you the absolute solution of the problem is generally treated by continuous positive airway pressure (C-PAP) or Bi- level positive airway pressure. C-PAP is a machine that blows air in nose through a nose mask, it keeps nose open and unhindered. This mask provides constant positive pressure of airway. The device is bit awkward, and difficult to bear it up. Surgery may be necessary.

Obstructive sleep apnea in children, surgery may be becomes necessary person have a diverged enlarged tonsils, small lower jaw with the overbite or underbite, which causes the throat to be unusually narrow in such cases surgery may be required to get over sleep apnea. The need of surgery depends upon age of children, overall health, medical history of children, reason of sleep apnea etc.