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Waist-to-height ratio distinguish obstructive sleep apnea from primary snoring in obese children

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Abstract

Background

Sleep-disordered breathing is caused by the interaction of multiple factors, including tonsillar hypertrophy, retrognathia, maxillary atresia, neuromuscular abnormalities, activation of inflammatory mediator cascades, and obesity. The prevalence and severity of obesity among children and adolescents increased worldwide during recent decades and has thus become a public health concern. The aim of this study is to assess the metabolic and anthropometric changes associated with sleep-disordered breathing in obese children.

Methods

Prospective assessment of prepubertal obese children followed at a pediatric endocrinology outpatient clinic that had history of frequent snoring. Children were submitted to polysomnography, measurements of body weight, height, blood pressure, neck circumference, and waist circumference. BMI, neck-to-height, and waist-to-height ratios were calculated. Laboratory tests included a complete blood count, liver function tests, lipid profile, and glucose metabolism assessment. Additionally, the presence of metabolic syndrome was assessed. Differences between obstructive sleep apnea and primary snoring groups were calculated using unpaired t-test, Fisher’s exact test or Mann-Whitney test (p < 0.05).

Results

The sample included 20 children with primary snoring and nine with obstructive sleep apnea. The two groups did not differ with regard to age, gender, BMI, or BMI z-score, serum lipids, glucose metabolism, cell count, liver function, or arterial blood pressure. Anthropometric data did not differ between groups. The waist-to-height ratio was greater among children with obstructive sleep apnea, compared to those with primary snoring.

Conclusion

In the present study, the waist-to-height ratio was greater in children with obstructive sleep apnea and, thus, could distinguish these children from those with primary snoring.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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The results presented in this manuscript were never presented in any conference.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Federal University of São Paulo, Rua Padre Luis dos Anjos, 256, Bairro Jundiaí, Anápolis, Goias, Brazil, CEP: 75110-520

    Juliana Alves de Sousa Caixêta & Reginaldo Raimundo Fujita

  2. Department of Endocrinology, Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de São Paulo, Rua Padre Luis dos Anjos, 256, Bairro Jundiaí, Anápolis, Goias, Brazil, CEP: 75110-520

    Alex Martins Saramago

  3. Instituto do Sono, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Alex Martins Saramago, Marcia Lourdes de Cácia Pradella-Hallinan, Gustavo Antônio Moreira & Sergio Tufik

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  1. Juliana Alves de Sousa Caixêta
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  2. Alex Martins Saramago
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Correspondence to Juliana Alves de Sousa Caixêta.

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de Sousa Caixêta, J.A., Saramago, A.M., de Cácia Pradella-Hallinan, M.L. et al. Waist-to-height ratio distinguish obstructive sleep apnea from primary snoring in obese children. Sleep Breath 19, 231–237 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-014-1001-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-014-1001-1

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