Obstructive sleep apnoea in children

Editor,—We agree that sleep disorders in children are an underrecognised problem and that at least one third of the children with severe problems may have coexisting physical or behavioural problems. However, it is surprising that Rona et al 1 make no mention of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) as a significant cause of disrupted sleep and daytime morbidity in the children. “Sleeps poorly but lies quietly when awake” might be considered typical of OSAS, and the lack of improvement with age seen in this group may be in part …

[1]  S. Chinn,et al.  Disturbed sleep: effects of sociocultural factors and illness , 1998, Archives of disease in childhood.

[2]  D. Teculescu,et al.  Snoring in French preschool children , 1992, Pediatric pulmonology.

[3]  J. Stradling,et al.  Effect of adenotonsillectomy on nocturnal hypoxaemia, sleep disturbance, and symptoms in snoring children , 1990, The Lancet.

[4]  P. Hauri,et al.  Nocturnal enuresis in children with upper airway obstruction. , 1985, International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology.