Serum leukotriene B4 levels, tonsillar hypertrophy and sleep-disordered breathing in childhood.

OBJECTIVES

In children with snoring, increased production of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) may promote tonsillar hypertrophy and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) or conversely SDB may enhance LTB4 synthesis. We explored whether: i) high LTB4 serum levels predict tonsillar hypertrophy; and ii) SDB severity correlates with LTB4 serum concentration.

METHODS

Normal-weight children with SDB or controls underwent polysomnography and measurement of LTB4 serum concentration. Tonsillar hypertrophy was the main outcome measure and high LTB4 serum level (>75 t h percentile value in controls) was the primary explanatory variable. Odds ratio (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) for tonsillar hypertrophy in children with versus without high LTB4 level were calculated. The control subgroup and subgroups of subjects with increasing SDB severity were compared regarding LTB4 concentration by Kruskal-Wallis test. Spearman's correlation co-efficient was applied to assess the association of LTB4 concentration with SDB severity.

RESULTS

A total of 104 children with SDB and mean obstructive apnea-hypopnea index-AHI of 4.8 ± 5.3 episodes/h (primary snoring: n = 19; mild SDB: n = 49; moderate/severe SDB: n = 36) and 13 controls (no snoring; AHI: 0.4 ± 0.2 episodes/h) were recruited. The four study subgroups were similar regarding LTB4 serum concentration (P = 0.64). High LTB4 (>170.3 pg/mL) was a significant predictor of tonsillar hypertrophy after adjustment for age and gender (OR 3.0 [1.2-7.2]; P = 0.01). There was no association between AHI or desaturation index and LTB4 serum concentration (r = -0.08; P = 0.37 and r = -0.1; P = 0.30, respectively).

CONCLUSION

No association was identified between SDB severity and LTB4 levels, but high LTB4 concentration predicted tonsillar hypertrophy.