Childhood Sleep-disordered Breathing Disproportionately Affects Obese And African-Americans

As the obesity epidemic grows in the United States, doctors discover more and more far-reaching health concern for overweight children. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), the various behaviors sleep, in the severity of snoring to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), unverheltnism�ig severely affected are children, obesity and African-Americans, according to a new study in the December 2007 issue of , neck, nose and Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery . Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can be serious threats to health, including high blood pressure and increased risk for heart disease.



researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond studied 299 children aged 2 to 18 years old. The main study group consisted of children scheduled to undergo adenotonsillectomy for the treatment of SDB. The control group consisted of children presenting to a primary care clinic for children and the child, to visit randomly selected dates.



Each child was to chart the demographic data, the age, sex, race / ethnicity, height and weight. Body mass index is calculated from the height and weight of each child.



The results showed that 46 percent of the children for surgery for SDB were overweight, compared with 33 percent in the control group. This ratio is much less than would be expected in the general population, where obesity in children with SDB would occur about ten times more likely than obesity in the general population children. One possible explanation for the small proportion of obesity in children with SDB compared to controls is that there may be a lack of awareness of the links between obesity and SDB between primary health care and caregivers.



The results also showed that children who are African-Americans and have SDB were more obese.



"The need to promote awareness of the association between SDB and obesity, particularly in African American children and adolescents, including teachers, nurses, elementary school care providers, and the general public enough stress, "said study lead author Emily F. Rudnick, MD.



authors noted that, in general, there is a complex role that race and ethnicity play in the prediction of obesity and SDB, and encouraged further research into this issue of public health.



----------------------------< Br> article adapted from Medical News today from the original press release. ,
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neck Nose - Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery is the official scientific journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO - HNS). The authors of the study are Emily F. Rudnick, MD, Jonathan S. Walsh, BS, Mark C. Hampton, PhD, and Ron B. Mitchell, MD.



, over the AAO - HNS ,



The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (http://www.entnet.org ), one of the oldest medical associations in the nation, more than 12000 physicians and allied health professionals specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the ears, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck. The Academy offers its members by facilitating the promotion of the science and art of medicine related to otolaryngology and by the representatives of the specialty in governmental and social issues. The organization's mission is: "Working for the Best Ear, Nose, and Throat Care."



Source:

Jessica Mikulski

American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery