| Sleep apnea is often believed to effect only adults. In | | | | these will of course vary widely, as is the case with |
| fact it is also a very common disorder in children, | | | | many conditions, but some of the tell tale signs |
| affecting up to 2 million children in the United States | | | | include: |
| alone. | | | | - Loud snoring or noisy breathing during sleep. Snoring |
| Sleep apnea, and in particular obstructive sleep apnea, | | | | is far less common in children than it is in adults, but a |
| is often thought to effect only overweight men from | | | | significant number of children do snore and this, on its |
| the age of about fifty onwards. In fact, while sleep | | | | own, does not necessarily indicate the presence of |
| apnea is perhaps most often seen in this group, it | | | | sleep apnea. |
| also affects a large number of women and is | | | | - Periods of not breathing during sleep. This is not |
| increasingly being recognized as a very common | | | | always easy to spot as the chest often continues to |
| disorder in children. | | | | move up and down as if the child is breathing, |
| Perhaps the first reference to sleep apnea in children | | | | although no air is being taken in through the nose or |
| was made by Charles Dickens in The Pickwick | | | | mouth. |
| Papers, published in 1837, in which Dickens wrote | | | | - Breathing through the mouth, rather than through |
| about a fat boy with a short thick neck called Joe | | | | the nose. |
| who was always falling asleep. | | | | - General problems in sleeping or restless sleep. |
| The first medical reference to sleep apnea in children | | | | - Unusual or excessive tiredness during the day. |
| then appeared a few years later in an 1889 edition of | | | | - Behavioral problems and an apparent difficulty in |
| the British Medical Journal. However, it was not until | | | | understanding. This may include difficulties in paying |
| 1976 that it began to receive serious consideration, | | | | attention, aggressive behavior and perhaps |
| following the publication of a report by the Stanford | | | | hyperactivity. |
| University Sleep Disorders Clinic. | | | | - A general failure to develop at a satisfactory pace. |
| Today, sleep apnea is being widely recognized as a | | | | For example, poor weight gain. |
| common disorder amongst children of all ages, and | | | | - Finally, a very common symptom in children is |
| particularly amongst children between the ages of | | | | enlarged tonsils and adenoids. |
| about three and six. Estimates vary, but in the United | | | | Now the presence of some, or indeed many, of |
| States alone, the number of children suffering from | | | | these signs does not necessarily mean that your child |
| sleep apnea is put at between one and a half and | | | | is suffering from sleep apnea, but it would be |
| two million. | | | | reasonable to assume that this might be the case, |
| So what are the signs and symptoms that might | | | | and you should certainly consider consulting your |
| suggest your child is suffering from sleep apnea. Well, | | | | family doctor. |