Obstructive sleep apnoea is an entity in which breathing pauses of varying lengths occur during nocturnal rest. This problem can be associated with snoring, but also with much more dangerous consequences than unpleasant sounds - it can increase the risk of developing hypertension, for example, but also increase the patient's risk of experiencing a stroke.

The entity occurs in both adults and children. In the latter group, it is found in up to 1 in 20 paediatric patients. The issue of obstructive sleep apnoea in children has recently been addressed by researchers at the University of Chicago, who decided to investigate the effects of nocturnal breathing disorders on the central nervous system.

Sleep apnoea in children and changes in the amount of grey matter in the brain

The research team was led by Leila Kheirandish-Gozal. The study group consisted of 16 children with obstructive sleep ap noea aged between seven and 11 years. Patients underwent neuropsychological testing and magnetic resonance imaging of the head. The results were compared with those obtained in children without nocturnal breathing disorders.

The abnormalities detected by the Chicago experts even caused them concern. It turned out that children with obstructive sleep apnoea showed a decrease in the amount of grey matter on imaging, and this in many different regions of the brain. Such changes were observed, for example, in the frontal cortex, parietal cortex and temporal lobe, and even in brainstem structures.

It is as yet unclear how the changes described affect neuropsychological functions in children. The mechanism by which these defects occur is also unclear: imaging studies should be performed on children before they develop obstructive sleep apnoea, as well as after they develop obstructive sleep apnoea, in order to obtain more precise information.

Questions about the links between obstructive sleep apnoea in children and brain disorders are still numerous. After analyses by scientists, one thing can be concluded - it cannot be ruled out that sleep-disordered breathing can even have very serious consequences. For this reason, parents who notice any worrying deviations in their offspring should not delay and are advised to see a specialist. After all, obstructive sleep apnoea in children can be - and successfully is - treated.