Association Between Weight Gain Trajectories and Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea Among Adolescents.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association of childhood obesity on the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adolescence.

STUDY

DESIGN

Case series.

SETTING

Academic Medical Center.

METHODS

Consecutive adolescents who underwent full-night polysomnography (PSG) were analyzed between January 2019 and February 2023. Patients were categorized into two independent groups based on childhood obesity and the presence of severe OSA in adolescence. The association between body mass index (BMI) factors and adolescent OSA was assessed.

RESULTS

The study included 216 patients with a median age at PSG of 15.5 years, 62% male, 52% Hispanic, 51% with childhood obesity, and 28.7% with severe adolescent OSA. Adolescents with severe OSA had significantly higher BMI (42.76 vs 34.17, P < .001), BMI percentile (154.97 vs 118.60, P < .001), childhood BMI (20.84 vs 19.38, P = .045), and prevalence of class 3 obesity (59.7% vs 29.2%, P < .001). Childhood obesity resulted in a significantly higher rate of adolescent obesity (95.4% vs 60.7%, P < .001) but not higher rates of severe OSA (31.2% vs 26.2%, P = .41). Multiple logistic regression revealed that severe OSA was associated with BMI percentile (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.05; P < .001) and change in BMI percentile (aOR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.02-1.10, P = .003).

CONCLUSION

Childhood obesity significantly increases the likelihood of obesity in adolescence but is not directly associated with higher rates of severe OSA.