Paloma Baiardi Gregório, Rodrigo Abensur Athanazio, Almir Galvão Vieira Bitencourt,
Flávia Branco Cerqueira Serra Neves, Regina Terse5, Francisco Hora
Objective: To investigate the symptoms most frequently found in children with a polysomnographic diagnosis of obstructive sleep apneahypopnea
syndrome (OSAHS). Methods: We evaluated 38 children consecutively referred to the sleep laboratory with suspicion of OSAHS
between June of 2003 and December of 2004. The patients were submitted to a pre-sleep questionnaire and to polysomnography. Results: The
mean age was 7.8 ± 4 years (range, 2-15 years), and 50% of the children were male. Children without apnea accounted for 7.9% of the
sample. The obstructive sleep apnea observed in the remainder was mild in 42.1%, moderate in 28.9% and severe in 22.1%. Severe cases of
apnea were most common among children under the age of six (pre-school age). In children with OSAHS, the most common symptoms were
snoring and nasal obstruction, which were observed in 74.3 and 72.7% of the children, respectively. Excessive sleepiness and bruxism were
seen in 29.4 and 34.3%, respectively, and reflux disease was seen in only 3.1%. Restless legs and difficulty in falling asleep were identified
in 65 and 33%, respectively. All of the children diagnosed with severe OSAHS also presented snoring and bruxism. Conclusions: Snoring
and nasal obstruction were the most common symptoms found in our sample of children and adolescents with OSAHS. In addition, OSAHS
severity was associated with being in the lower age bracket.
Keywords: Obstructive sleep apnea; Polysomnography; Pediatrics; Snoring.