Upper airway sleep-disordered breathing in infants

Abstract □ 167 A standardized set of questions and clinical evaluation was established in 1984 following previous investigations and was subsequently performed beginning in 1985 on infants

referred for an apparent life threatening event (ALTE). All children that were submitted to this "core evaluation protocol" during a 10-year period were reviewed. Only children

with a complete data set were included in the study. The systematic data collection included documentation of clinical complaints, symptoms and signs of sleep-disordered breathing, a

sleep/wake evaluation, a systematic evaluation of the face and naso-oro-pharynx, nocturnal polygraphic recording, and systematic follow up. A total of 346 infants had complete data sets. We

recruited a smaller group of 46 age-matched healthy infants as controls. These infants were investigated with the same "core evaluation" and compared to the referred infants. The

346 referred infants were divided into two groups, A and B, based on the results of polygraphic investigation. Subgroup A, 42.6% of the population, included infants with no abnormal findings

based on nocturnal polygraphic recording. These infants were no different than controls at initial evaluation and during follow-up. Subgroup B, 57.4% of the population, included infants

with abnormal breathing during sleep that became more obvious over time. Subgroup B children were shown to have obstructive breathing during sleep at polygraphic recording. These last

infants also had clinical symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing and had mild facial dysmorphia that became easier to recognize with aging. At 6 months of age, signs and symptoms seen

initially in the children of subgroup B persisted and were more obvious. The ALTE was an indication of a sleep-disordered breathing syndrome that needs to be recognized early. Authors *

Christian Guilleminault View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS

ARTICLE Guilleminault, C. Upper Airway Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Infants. _Pediatr Res_ 45, 42 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199905020-00167 Download citation * Issue Date:

May 1999 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199905020-00167 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a

shareable link is not currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative KEYWORDS * infant * sleep-disordered

breathing * ALTE * obstructive sleep apnea * familial aggregate * asthma