Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in Children

What to look for?

Some of the symptoms suggestive of obstructive sleep apnoea include:

• Snoring
• Apnoea (pauses in breathing during sleep)
• Snorting, gasping noises during sleep
• Laboured breathing during sleep, with ‘sucking in’ of the chest
• Unusual sleeping positions, such as hyperextending the neck to breathe better, sitting up, or propped up with many pillows
• Restlessness and frequent awakenings during sleep
• Sweating during sleep
• Mouth breathing in the day or during sleep
• Cyanosis (blue discolouration of the lips/face
• Difficulty waking in the morning
• Feeling unrefreshed after an overnight sleep
• Morning headaches
• Irritability or aggressive behaviour during the day
• Learning difficulty
• Excessive sleepiness during the day

Complications

Some of the complications of untreated significant obstructive sleep apnoea include:

• Learning and/or behavioural problems
• Poor growth
• Diabetes, obesity, hypertension, heart failure, stroke
• Death (in very severe, untreated cases – rare)