Text of Filipe Magalhães Ramos, otorhinolaryngologist. A aSleep pnea in children is increasing globally, affecting even babies under two years old. Early diagnosis is essential to avoid serious consequences. The most common treatment is to remove the tonsils or adenoids.
In general, the concept of apnea refers to a respiratory rhythm arrest.
O minimum time defined for an episode of apnea has been decreasing significantly in recent decades, following the knowledge produced, now standing at around 20/30 seconds. This reduction is linked to the increase in cases worldwide, even at early ages, occurring in children under two years of age. This is how it becomes It is necessary to diagnose early in order to avoid serious consequences.
O Diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome in children, that falls within the spectrum of sleep disorders, it is generally done clinically evaluating symptoms such as frequent snoring, restlessness, and significant sweating during sleepas well as breathing pausesoften documented by parents with video footage. You can also see, during the day, nasal obstruction, mouth breathing, morning headache, problems with concentration or hyperactivity, poor athletic performance. Daytime sleepiness is less common than among adults with obstructive sleep apnea.
Being the snoring is one of the signs most commonly associated with apnea in childrenaccording to mothers’ frequent statement “he snores louder than his father”, it is worth clarifying that, despite this condition being seen as the first stage of sleep disturbances, Many children go through this due to specific situationsfor example, to a infection of the upper airways, due to accumulation of mucus in the nasal cavity.
Em healthy childrenthe most common cause of obstructive sleep apnea is increased volume of tonsils or adenoids. Therefore, after careful clinical evaluation, adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy can be proposed as the most effective way to resolve the situation. In the last procedure, you can choose to total removal of tonsils (total tonsillectomy) or by preserving the respective external part, removing only the obstructing part of the tonsil (partial or intracapsular tonsillectomy) which, if appropriate, allows a faster recovery and reduces the risk of bleeding during the surgical procedure.
Not case of children who have complex anatomical problemsgenetic conditions that alter respiratory control, or cardiopulmonary pathologies, situation will have to be carefully analyzed, in order to find surgical procedures suitable for each particular case or if resort to means non-invasive ventilation systems, such as devices that enable the creation of a continuous positive airflow in the airways.
Article by Filipe Magalhães Ramos, otorhinolaryngologist
