Study shows tonsillectomy can solve sleep apnea children

How to improve sleep quality of children with sleep apnea (snoring by cutting the breath), as well as to help correct their behavior and academic problems, tonsillectomy may be, according to new research from the Soroka Medical Center of Israel.

Remove tonsils and adenoids improves sleep quality and as a result, better academic performance and general cognitive ability in children who suffer from what is known as the syndrome of obstructive sleep apnea.

? The most important aspect of what we find is that the effects of sleep apnea are fully reversible with tonsillectomy?, Said Prof. Asher Tal, who led the research with Dr. Haim Reuveni, Department of Health Policy and Department of Pediatrics, and Dr. Ariel Tarasiuk, head of the Sleep Laboratory.

The findings were published in two separate studies in the month of December 2003 in the medical journal Chest and in the December 2003 edition of the medical journal Sleep.

Tal, Department of Pediatrics, Soroka Medical Center, University of Ben Gurion in the Negev, stressed that 3% of children suffer from respiratory problems during sleep, resulting in a blockage of the upper respiratory passages.

The syndrome known as "obstructive sleep apnea? is mainly associated with overweight in adult men, but is most common in children, according to Tal. And the factor observed in patients with sleep apnea is enlarged tonsils and adenoids.

The syndrome has implications for children during the day and at night. Many research studies have found that OSA (an acronym for the disease) can cause children to develop cognitive and behavioral problems, accompanied by hearing problems that lead to learning disorders. They may also suffer growth and other health problems.

? We know from previous studies in some countries that sleep apnea is probably related to ADHD and there is preliminary evidence that can damage cognitive function. An Israeli physicist Kentkucky Louisville has shown that among children in first grade at low percentage levels, 20% of these patients had sleep disorders?. Tal, you told Israel21 that "ours is the first study to face the issue directly?.

Previous studies led by Tal, found that children who suffer from sleep apnea make more use of the health system, and are treated, hospitalized and medicated more often than their peers. To better understand the subject, sleep patterns in children with OSA are different before and after removing the tonsils and adenoids, according to recent investigations of such an initiative in the sleep disorders unit at Soroka.

Thirty-six children were examined in the sleep laboratory before removing the tonsils and adenoids continuing the investigation after several months of operation. The general assessments of children in the clinic, with detailed questionnaires about their sleep habits were completed by parents, and sleep laboratory apparatus.

The results clearly showed that removal of the tonsils and adenoids greatly improves the quality of your sleep, most likely during REM sleep.

A study that accompanied the Soroka University Ben Gurion, published in the December issue of the medical journal Sleep, looked at the behavior problems, attention disorders and learning disorders that can accompany OSA, by reducing provision of oxygen to the brain during sleep. In this study, 39 children between 5 and OSA 9 years were examined before and after removal of tonsils and adenoids, and compared to control group of 20 healthy children.

Before the operations, it was clear that among children with sleep apnea when there is a higher level of performance and low cognitive ability compared with the control group. But after a few months after surgery, cognitive function improved significantly and reaches the level of their peers.

The first investigation indicated the fact that the removal of the tonsils and adenoids in children with sleep apnea can improve performance significantly and academic achievement in school.

Currently, the level of awareness among doctors, the influence of OSA on academic performance is relatively low, so researchers at Ben Gurion Univerisdad believe that the results of this study will be an important contribution to the decision of the doctors about whether or not to remove tonsils and adenoids in children.

The trend in pediatrics today, is directed only to perform tonsillectomy in cases when it is considered absolutely necessary, as when a child snores so loud. The research, says Tal, is on time, to change the balance in decision-making among doctors, parents and teachers.

"It will take time for people to understand that sleep apnea is not benign? That said, "and this is because when children are declining supplemental oxygen to the brain during sleep, and his dream is fragemtado, there are behavioral and cognitive implications. Now there are neurologists who referred us to the suspicion of ADHD children and found that between 20 and 30% of them suffer from sleep apnea. It may be that some children, to correct your sleep may correct their ADHD and do not need drugs like Ritalin. This is important information?.

Such research continues, now focusing on sleep issues in children between 2 and 5 years.

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Source: Israel21c.com