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Could Breastfeeding Be a Protective Factor for Sleep Apnea?

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Breastfeeding and Metabolic Programming

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Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is more than expected in children, such as 1–6% of children and adolescents have obstructive sleep apnea [1]. Most of the kids that get it are between the ages of 2 and 8. The likelihood of upper airway collapse, and therefore of pediatric OSA, may be decreased or raised by a number of variables. Obesity is a major contributor to the risk. The incidence of OSA rises to 19–61% when the population is broken down into obese children [2–5]. According to studies, the chance of developing OSA increases by 10–12% for every percentage point over the 50th percentile that a person’s body mass index (BMI) resides in [6, 7]. There is a possibility of upper airway reduction with adenoids and tonsils that have grown too large; therefore, this condition has been described as a risk factor as well. Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea is often treated by adenotonsillectomy [8]. While inflammation of the nasal mucosa is thought to cause congestion, which in turn may raise airway resistance, allergic rhinitis (AR) is also considered a risk factor [9]. Moreover, maxillofacial anomalies and malocclusion have been linked to pediatric OSA [10]. Changes in the size, location, or shape of the jaws and/or tongue may limit the upper airway, increasing the risk of blockage [9].

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Yozgat Sarıkaya State Hospital, Yozgat, Türkiye

    Saltuk Bugra Kilinc

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Kırıkkale University, Kırıkkale, Türkiye

    Nuray Bayar Muluk

  3. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Centre “Mother Teresa”, Tirana, Albania

    Suela Sallavaci

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  1. Saltuk Bugra Kilinc
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  2. Nuray Bayar Muluk
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  3. Suela Sallavaci
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child Health and Diseases, Arel University, Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Türkiye

    Özlem Naciye Şahin

  2. Pediatrics Department, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Despina D. Briana

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Perugia, Italy

    Gian Carlo Di Renzo

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Kilinc, S.B., Muluk, N.B., Sallavaci, S. (2023). Could Breastfeeding Be a Protective Factor for Sleep Apnea?. In: Şahin, Ö.N., Briana, D.D., Di Renzo, G.C. (eds) Breastfeeding and Metabolic Programming. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33278-4_41

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33278-4_41

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