Authors: Zev Frimer Shmuel Goldberg Leon Joseph Francis B Mimouni Elie Picard
Publish Date: 2016/05/26
Volume: 20, Issue: 4, Pages: 1313-1318
Abstract
The most common cause of obstructive sleep apnea OSA in children is an enlargement of tonsils and/or adenoids Previous studies have shown that the size of adenoids and tonsils is influenced by upper respiratory tract infections and exposure to allergens The rate of exposure to bacteria viruses and allergens fluctuates from season to season Therefore we hypothesized that the rate of polysomnograms positive for OSA may vary according to seasonWe retrospectively reviewed polysomnography tests of 296 children ages 0–12 years referred for suspected OSA We compared the Obstructive Apnea Hypopnea Index OAHI between the seasons and the rates of abnormal tests in each season according to the degree of severityThe mean OAHI did not significantly differ among the seasons winter 30 ± 50 spring 30 ± 49 summer 40 ± 63 fall 34 ± 57 p = 0183 When dividing the OAHI by levels of severity no seasonality was found in moderate winter 138 spring 67 summer 117 fall 141 p = NS and severe OSA winter 88 spring 112 summer 10 fall 78 p = NS There was a small increase in the frequency of mild OSA diagnoses in the summer compared to the other seasons
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