Scientists at Columbus Children's Hospital Publish New Data on Down Syndrome.

"Children with Down syndrome (DS) have increased difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS), excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). As part of a quality improvement initiative, parents of children enrolled in the Children's Hospital Boston Down Syndrome Program were surveyed about their child's sleep and breathing patterns while asleep," scientists in Boston, United States report.

"An anonymous Internet-based questionnaire was used in the study. The completion rate was 46.5% (255/548). DIMS and EDS were frequently/almost always present in more than half the children. Among parents unconcerned about their child's breathing, 11.8% witnessed apnea and 4.2% gasping/choking more than once monthly. Parents of children status post adenotonsillectomy (AT) reported witnessed apnea (47.5%), gasping/choking (28.9%) more than once monthly. There is room for improved screening of sleep disturbances, OSA in children with DS," wrote D. Rosen and colleagues, Columbus Children's Hospital.

The researchers concluded: "The high frequency of persistence of OSA following AT should prompt for continued screening following AT."

Rosen and colleagues published their study in Clinical Pediatrics (Parental Perceptions of Sleep Disturbances and Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Children With Down Syndrome. Clinical Pediatrics, 2011;50(2):121-125).

For additional information, contact D. Rosen, Columbus Children's Hospital, Division Respiratory Diseases, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, United States..

The publisher's contact information for the journal Clinical Pediatrics is: Sage Publications Inc., 2455 Teller Rd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA.

Keywords: City:Boston, State:Massachusetts, Country:United States, Chromosome Disorders, Congenital Abnormalities, Down Syndrome, Mental Retardation, Nervous System Diseases, Neurobehavioral Manifestations, Neurologic Manifestations, Pediatrics

This article was prepared by Pediatrics Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Pediatrics Week via NewsRx.com.