Pulmonary Dysfunction Is Associated With Sleep Study Abnormalities in Children With Sickle Cell Disease: A Multicenter Study

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary dysfunction and sleep abnormalities are common in children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and are associated with worse clinical outcomes. Whether spirometry abnormalities are associated with polysomnography (PSG) findings remains unclear. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional study of 109 children with SCD who underwent both spirometry and PSG at three accredited pediatric pulmonary centers. Associations between spirometry indices and PSG markers of hypoxemia were assessed using correlation and multivariable regression models. RESULTS: ), but not with the percentage of total sleep time with oxygen saturation less than 90% (%TST90). DISCUSSION: This is one of the first studies to demonstrate that impaired lung function correlates with nocturnal hypoxemia in pediatric SCD. Abnormal spirometry results may serve as a marker of nocturnal hypoxemia, and vice versa, enabling targeted interventions. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings and to evaluate whether improving pulmonary function mitigates sleep-related complications in children with SCD.