Screening for obstructive sleep apnoea in children.

The prevalence of OSA increases with age depending on the techniques used and criteria accepted for definition of the condition. In children there may be a relationship of snoring to parental smoking. Night time problems may be worsened by use of anti-histamine sympathomimetic amine medication or cough suppressants. Disorders of sleep affect not only the child but also the parents and family. Progression to right heart failure is very rare and more likely in syndromic conditions. Whilst polysomnography will detect most of the changes of OSA, pulse oximetry may detect only two-thirds of adults with the condition and until now there has been no data for normal children examined at home.