What's new in paediatric sleep?

SummaryThe major recent advance in our understanding of paediatric sleep is the publication of reference values for sleep in children aged 3.2–8.6 years. These data show developmental changes reflecting a subtle process of the maturation of the central nervous system with regard to sleep in childhood.In infants, a significant negative correlation has been observed between a snore-associated arousal index and an infant development scale, underlining that snoring is less innocent than has been suggested.A link between obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and airway inflammation has been demonstrated, with children with OSA having significantly higher expression of the leukotriene (LT) 1 and 2 receptors and higher concentrations of LT C4/D4/E4 and LT B4 in adenotonsillar tissues than children with recurrent rhinitis who have no OSA. This explains the efficacy of treatment for OSA with montelukast, a LT receptor antagonist, alone or in combination with corticosteroids.By using peripheral arterial tonometry, a noninvasive technique that allows the moment-to-moment measurement of sympathetic tone, persistent waking-associated autonomic nervous system dysfunction has been demonstrated in young children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). As such, SDB in childhood may represent a cardiovascular risk factor in adulthood.