The Association Between Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Hypertension: A Database Study.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the relationship between pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and hypertension.

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

Nationwide Children's Hospital Sleep Databank.

METHODS

We included sleep studies of patients younger than 18 years. Studies performed with continuous positive airway pressure, postsurgical sleep studies, and those involving confounding diagnoses (eg, craniofacial abnormalities) were excluded. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between OSA severity and hypertension, controlling for body mass index (BMI) percentile and age.

RESULTS

A total of 2258 sleep studies were analyzed. There were 2140 patients without hypertension, 118 patients with any hypertension diagnosis, 66 patients with primary hypertension, and 43 patients with secondary hypertension. There was a significant difference (P < .0001) in age, weight class, and sleep apnea severity across hypertension diagnosis groups. In the model for primary hypertension, significant predictors were moderate OSA (odds ratio [OR] 3.20, 95% CI [1.35-7.54], P < .01) and age (OR 1.20, 95% CI [1.13-1.27], P < .0001). In the model for general hypertension, significant predictors were moderate OSA (OR 2.45, 95% CI [1.19-5.05], P < .05), age (OR 1.17, 95% CI [1.12-1.22], P < .0001), and BMI percentile (OR 1.01, 95% CI [1.01-1.02], P < .01).

CONCLUSION

Moderate OSA was associated with a statistically significant increased odds of having hypertension in pediatric patients. These findings highlight the importance of early diagnosis and management of OSA in pediatric patients.