Obstructive Sleep Apnea In Children

Obstructive sleep apnea in children is a serious condition. It is therefore quite disturbing when children suffer from it. In this article, you will find out how to detect this problem and various ways to treat it as soon as possible.

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea causes pauses in breathing during sleep, which then disrupt the patient’s rest. This type of apnea, which occurs while children are sleeping, causes partial or complete blockage of the airways.

This means that they stop breathing at some point while sleeping. When this happens, the child often wakes up, disrupting sleep and causing daytime fatigue and sleepiness.

Find out below the reasons why children may suffer from this breathing disorder. It is important to pay close attention to this problem that occurs during sleep.

Possible Causes of Sleep Apnea in Children

• Adenotonsillar hypertrophy. In this case, the tonsils (tissues in the upper part of the throat) are too large, reducing the space through which the air passes.
• obesity. Excess fat can cause soft tissues to build up around the airways during sleep because the muscles are relaxed and the body is horizontal. The resulting narrowing can result in apnea.

• Neuromuscular disease. These are often characterized by loss of muscle strength that can cause sleep apnea in children. They are usually progressive.
• Craniofacial disorders. These malformations can affect the airways, causing disruptions and a greater predisposition to sleep apnea.

Signs and Symptoms

So, now that you know some of the reasons why children may suffer from sleep apnea, it is important to detect the signs and symptoms of this condition early.

To do this, let your child’s pediatrician know the following signs that you may be overlooking. One of these signs could be snoring.

However, children can also have night sweats, sleepwalking, or nightmares for no apparent reason. These problems often cause complaints during the day such as:

• hyperactivity
• headache
• concentration problems

Faced with this problem, the child may have chronic fatigue and other sleep problems such as sleepwalking or nightmares.

If your child tells you that she woke up without breathing or is afraid to fall asleep for this reason, it’s important to pay attention to the symptoms we’ve discussed.

Notifying your child’s pediatrician will help to start treatment as soon as possible to avoid other complications, such as the manifestation of cardiovascular disease.

Treatment of sleep apnea in children

Depending on what is causing the obstructive sleep apnea, the doctor will decide on the right treatment. For example, if obstructive sleep apnea is caused by obesity, the child will be fed a specific diet designed to help lose weight. The doctor will consider other options if this does not solve the problem or the child is unable to lose weight.

• CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Machine). This is a device that prevents collapse of the airways during the night. The child should sleep with a mask on the nose and mouth that is connected via a tube to a machine that applies positive airway pressure.

• bit. This is a device or mouthpiece that keeps the throat open by moving the jaw forward. In addition, it prevents snoring.
• Surgical procedure. This is for more severe cases (although it is not used as often). It can focus on the jaw, neck or the removal of tissues in the case of tonsils.

All of these options relieve the symptoms we discussed above and allow children to enjoy a good night’s sleep. Also remember that this condition can lead to cardiovascular problems and in rare cases even sudden death. Early appropriate treatment is therefore essential to prevent complications.