Pediatric Sleep Apnea on the Rise

A new study found that sleep apnea could be increasingly common in young children ages two to six years old, possibly due to increasing childhood obesity rates and air pollution. According to Minal Patel, M.D., a board-certified pediatrician specializing in sleep medicine at Pediatrix® Specialty Care of Austin, research has linked obesity to sleep apnea as it can cause altered muscular tone, which can result in a collapse of the upper airway, and an increased load on the chest wall can cause slow or shallow breathing. The air pollution link to sleep apnea can be explained by “upper airway inflammation, edema and subsequent narrowing,” said Dr. Patel. Sleep apnea can be difficult to spot in children as the symptoms may be slightly different than those presented in adults. “Children with sleep apnea often present with behavioral issues, inability to focus/hyperactivity and depressed mood as compared to daytime sleepiness in adult patients.”

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