Sleep-disordered breathing in preschool children is associated with behavioral, but not cognitive, impairments

Abstract Background Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) has been associated with impaired cognitive and behavioral function in school children; however, there have been limited studies in preschool children when the incidence of the disorder peaks. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare cognitive a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sleep medicine 2012-06, Vol.13 (6), p.621-631
Main Authors: Jackman, Angela R, Biggs, Sarah N, Walter, Lisa M, Embuldeniya, Upeka S, Davey, Margot J, Nixon, Gillian M, Anderson, Vicki, Trinder, John, Horne, Rosemary S.C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apnea
Attention
Behavior
Child Behavior
Child Behavior Disorders - epidemiology
Child Language
Child, Preschool
Children
Cognition
Cognition Disorders - epidemiology
Executive Function
Female
Humans
Incidence
Male
Memory
Motor Skills
Neurology
Polysomnography
Preschool
Risk Factors
Sleep
Sleep Apnea Syndromes - diagnosis
Sleep Apnea Syndromes - epidemiology
Sleep Medicine
Sleep Stages
Sleep-disordered breathing
Snoring
Snoring - diagnosis
Snoring - epidemiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract Background Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) has been associated with impaired cognitive and behavioral function in school children; however, there have been limited studies in preschool children when the incidence of the disorder peaks. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare cognitive and behavioral functions of preschool children with SDB to those of non-snoring control children. Methods A clinical sample of 3–5 year-old children (primary snoring [PS], n = 60; mild obstructive sleep apnea syndrome [OSAS], n = 32; moderate/severe [MS] OSAS, n = 24) and a community sample of non-snoring control children ( n = 37) were studied with overnight polysomnography. Cognitive performance and behavioral information were collected. Results Children with PS and mild OSAS had poorer behavior than controls on numerous measures ( p < .05– p < .001), and on some measures they had poorer behavior than the MS OSAS group ( p < .05). In contrast, all groups performed similarly on cognitive assessment. Outcomes related more to sleep than respiratory measures. Conclusions SDB of any severity was associated with poorer behavior but not cognitive performance. The lack of significant cognitive impairment in this age group may have identified a “window of opportunity” where early treatment may prevent deficits arising later in childhood.
ISSN:1389-9457
1878-5506
DOI:10.1016/j.sleep.2012.01.013