The Natural History of Childhood Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Investigators from the Chinese University of Hong Kong conducted a prospective longitudinal cohort study to assess the natural history of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children through early adulthood. Children who were 6–13 years old and did not have cardiovascular, renal, or neuromuscular disease; chromosomal abnormalities; or acute illness within 2 weeks of recruitment were enrolled between 2003 and 2005. At enrollment, parents of child participants completed (a) a validated sleep symptom survey, which included snoring frequency; (b) a medical history questionnaire, which included history of allergic rhinitis and asthma, as well as treatment received for sleep-disordered breathing; and (c) a demographic survey. All child participants also underwent an assessment of their tonsil and adenoid size, had their BMI …