Childhood Sleep Apnea
Childhood sleep apnea
Although typically known as a condition that affects mainly adults, sleep apnea is also found in children. The majority of childhood sleep apnea cases have been signaled between the ages of two and six, and only very seldom, infants and adolescents are diagnosed with the affection. The most common cause for childhood sleep apnea is the large size of adenoids and tonsils that prevent the correct passage of the air flow towards the lungs.
Other, though rarer, causes underlying childhood sleep apnea include allergies, cleft palate, obesity or a receding chin; researchers also ring an alarm bell where the children with Downs syndrome are concerned, since they have a higher risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea. There are certain symptoms of childhood sleep apnea that parents can identify, and they aren't too different from the adult cases. Thus, snoring, heavy sweating, frequent wake ups, bed wetting, restlessness and night terrors are usually the main signs that indicate a disorder such as children sleep apnea.
If left untreated or simply ignored, children sleep apnea could influence brain development leading to the appearance of behavioral problems and attention deficit disorders. Mental development tests have pretty alarming results when it comes to the investigations performed for small children. Any parent who suspects that his or her child suffers from a sleep disorder should turn to the health care provider right away in order to get a correct diagnosis.
The most common treatment for childhood sleep apne is the surgical removal of tonsils and adenoids that are the main factors responsible for airway blocking. The complications of such surgical procedures often make them difficult to choose particularly for very small children: there is poor oral intake, post-surgical pain, respiratory problem and even pulmonary edema following the intervention. If enlarged tonsils and adenoids are not the causes underlying childhood sleep apnea, then the use of CPAP treatment is usually recommended.
The CPAP sleep apne treatment consists in the use of an oxygen mask that sends a regular, continuous air flow into the respiratory tract of the child. This is a long-term treatment of childhood sleep apnea and it usually requires a constant medical monitoring of the patient's condition. Older children usually tolerate the air mask better than younger ones. The latter very often need the use of desensitization techniques, but it is entirely up to the doctor to establish the steps necessary to such therapeutic approaches.