The burden of sleep disordered breathing in infants with Down syndrome
referred to tertiary sleep center
Abstract
Introduction Children with Down Syndrome (DS) are at high risk of sleep
disordered breathing (SDB). We aimed to examine the burden of SDB in
infants with DS referred to tertiary sleep center. Methods Infants (≤12
months old) with DS who underwent consecutive polysomnography (PSG) at a
single academic sleep center over a 6-year period were included. OSA
(obstructive apnea hypopnea index [oAHI]>1/hr), central
sleep apnea (central apnea index>5/hr) and the presence of
hypoventilation (% time spent with CO2 > 50 mmHg either by
end-tidal or transcutaneous> 25% of total sleep time) and
hypoxemia (time spent with O2 saturation <88% >5
min) were ascertained. For infants who underwent adenotonsillectomy
(AT), we compared the SDB metrics before and after the AT. Results A
total of 40 infants were included (Mean age 6.6 months, male 66%). PSGs
consisted of diagnostic (n=13) and split night (n=27, 68%) studies. All
met criteria for OSA with mean oAHI 34.6 (32.3). Central sleep apnea was
present in 11 (27.5%) of infants. A total of 11 (27.5%) had hypoxemia.
Hypoventilation was present in 10 (25%) infants. There was a trend of
association between hypothyroidism and hypoventilation (OR: 5.5
[0.96-34.4], p=0.056). Among 13 infants who underwent AT and had a
follow up PSG, severity of OSA markedly reduced after AT (oAHI
difference: 34/hr [29], p=0.0002). Conclusion This study highlights
the high prevalence of SDB in infants with DS and supports early PSG
assessment in this patient population.