FRIDAY, Jan. 16, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- A simple, noninvasive test that can be done while children are awake may help identify youngsters with sleep-disordered breathing.
The good news comes from a study in the January issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
The study examined 247 children between the ages of 4 and 16 who snored. Researchers measured the children's upper airway cross-sectional area, a noninvasive procedure that lets doctors identify airway problems that result in disordered breathing.
The children were first given a topical anesthetic in the upper airway. The anesthetic relaxes local reflexes that promote airway openness when a person is awake.
When they used this test on the children, the researchers found that those with sleep-disordered breathing had smaller airways and that both the upper airway collapsibility and sleep-disordered breathing severity were "markedly" and "significantly greater" in such children.
Snoring is a major symptom of sleep-disordered breathing, which affects about 11 percent of children aged 2 to 8. But diagnosing the disorder usually requires an overnight sleep test, which can be a major burden for children and parents.
Another study in the same issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment rapidly improves insulin sensitivity in people with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).
More information
Here's where you can learn more about sleep apnea.
