Obstructive sleep apnoea in children

Habitual snoring is a very common problem in the paediatric population, especially in preschool children. The differentiation of snoring children into those with primary snoring and those with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is difficult on clinical grounds and the gold standard investigation remains the overnight polysomnogram. The epidemiology of sleep-disordered breathing and OSA in children is changing, in part in relation to the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity in young people. There is also increasing recognition of the adverse neurodevelopmental sequelae that can be associated with OSA, and possibly with milder manifestations of sleep-disordered breathing such as primary snoring. It is therefore important that paediatricians are aware of the problems of sleep-disordered breathing in children, and that a detailed sleep history is part of routine clinical assessment when sleep-related breathing disturbance is suspected or possible.