The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a list of new guideless to help parents problems that could cope up with children suffering from sleep Apnea.
Sleeping apnea is a disorder that causes abnormal stoppage of breathing while sleeping. A recent survey conducted by The American Academy of Pediatrics states that approximately 1.2 to 5.7 percent of American children are affected by this disorder. AAP has now revised its recommendations for the diagnosis and management of obstructive sleep apnea.
"There is a great need for further research into the prevalence of OSAS, sequelae of OSAS, best treatment methods, and the role of obesity," Health Day quoted Carole L. Marcus,from the AAP's Subcommittee on Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome and colleagues conclude.
The revised recommendations as published on Pediatrics are:
* All children should be screened for snoring during routine health check-ups.
* Polysomnography is the best diagnostic method for identifying sleep and ventilator abnormalities.* Screening methods like videotaping, audiotaping, nocturnal pulse oximetry, and daytime nap polysomnography, may be helpful if the results are positive. But, these tests do not measure the severity of the syndrome.
* Adenotonsillectomy can be adopted as a first-line treatment for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (Complications include anesthetic-related medical problems, pain and poor oral intake in the immediate postoperative period, and hemorrhage)
* Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can be opted for children who do not respond to surgical treatment
* Weight loss can help obese children to treat the conditionUsing nasal sprays , mild sleep apnea symptoms can be solvedIn complicated cases, patients should be hospitalized overnight after surgery and should be monitored
*Patients should be subjected to evaluation to confirm the successful treatment of the condition
According to the health experts from AAP, side effects of adenotonsillectomy in children below three years include : cardiac complications of the syndrome (e.g., right ventricular hypertrophy), failure to thrive, obesity, prematurity, recent respiratory infection, craniofacial anomalies, and neuromuscular disorders, severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome determined by polysomnography.
"These new guidelines are extremely important," Dr. Vikas Jain, a sleep specialist at Integris Health in Oklahoma City told ABC News. "Pediatric sleep apnea is a rising problem among American children and leads to serious consequences.
"The sooner we can diagnose a child with this condition, the sooner we can get these kids started on the right treatments to improve their quality of life and their overall health."
