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| |  ASPO MEETING: Adenotonsillectomy Improves Behaviour In Kids With Obstructive Sleep Apnea LOS ANGELES, CA -- April 29, 1999 -- Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a serious medical disorder that is normally associated with adults but can also strike children, often with more serious consequences. A new study reveals that removing a child’s tonsils and adenoids can alleviate OSAS symptoms plus improve overall behaviour. Children are often diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome because of nighttime breathing difficulties. Reported symptoms include snoring, choking, gasping, struggling to breathe, restless sleep, unusual sleeping positions and frequent awakenings. Daytime sleepiness is not as prevalent a symptom as it is in adults with OSAS. Children with OSAS also display a wide range of behavioural disturbances, including learning difficulties, attention disorders, hyperactivity, aggression, and antisocial behaviour. When OSAS is diagnosed, the typical treatment is a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (when performed concurrently, called an adenotonsillectomy). Most assessments of the procedure’s effectiveness have focused on the surgery’s impact on the physical symptoms. Now, a new study evaluates the surgery’s impact on the behavioural and emotional problems of children with OSAS or upper airway obstruction by using a standardized assessment, the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). The study findings were presented today (April 29) at the annual meeting of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, being held April 28-30 at the Marriott’s Desert Springs, Palm Desert, CA. Parents of children scheduled for a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy were recruited at the otolaryngology clinic at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. To be included, the children had to display typical symptoms associated with OSAS; no sleep studies were performed on any of the children. The parents of the children completed two forms prior to surgery and three months postoperatively. The form included the following: (1) a standard questionnaire that recorded demographic information regarding the frequency of OSAS symptoms and (2) The Child Behaviour Checklist for ages 2-3 or 4-18, a reliable survey instrument that has been in use since 1991. Parents of 36 children, ages two through 18, participated in the study. Prior to the surgical procedure, 10 children (or 28 percent) displayed abnormal behaviour. After the surgery, only two of the children displayed qualities indicative of abnormal behaviour. The study suggests that parents who suspect their child has obstructive sleep apnea syndrome should investigate a surgical option to alleviate physical symptoms and behavioural abnormalities.
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