Sleep disorders in children with recurrent acute respiratory diseases and background lymphadenoid hypertrophy

Episodes of acute respiratory diseases are the most common cause of sleep disturbance in young children. Lymphadenoid hypertrophy (LAH) plays an important role in the formation of recurrent respiratory pathology, which creates a mechanical obstacle to airflow and leads to the development of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Obstruction, hypoxia cause numerous awakenings and contribute to significant metabolic, cardiovascular and neurocognitive disorders. Aim - to study the features of clinical and somnographic sleep disorders in children with recurrent acute respiratory diseases (RARD) and to establish their dependence on the presence of background lymphadenoid hypertrophy. Materials and methods. 30 children with recurrent acute respiratory diseases (RARD) without manifestations of LAH, 30 children with RARD on the background of LAH and 20 somatically healthy children were examined. The average age of the children was (6.4±0.6) years, which was comparable between the groups. A questionnaire was conducted with parents regarding sleep disorders in children. Results. Analysis of questionnaires showed that children with background LAH had pronounced nocturnal symptoms of pharyngeal obstruction such as snoring, pauses in breathing, difficulty breathing, frequent awakenings. The consequence of nocturnal sleep disorders were daytime symptoms (sleepiness, psychoemotional problems). In general, such disorders were detected in 26.6% of children with RARD and 76.6% of children with concomitant LAH. At the second stage, all children with sleep disorders underwent polysomnography, which established the development of nocturnal apnea and hypoventilation syndrome during sleep, while the apnea-hypopnea index was (9.2±2.6) episodes/h in children with LAH versus (2.2±0.6) in children without LAH. Conclusions. Children with RARD and background lymphadenoid hypertrophy have a significant risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. For screening diagnostics of this syndrome, it is advisable to use questionnaires that allow to identify night and day symptoms of upper airway obstruction. The presence of apnea and hypopnea and, as a result, the development of hypoxemia generates a considerable number of clinical symptoms and syndromes and worsens the quality of life of children and their families in general. The study was performed in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent of the child's parents was obtained for the study. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.