A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine included 464 children diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. The children, ages 5 to 9, were either assigned to have an adenotonsillectomy, or assigned a “watchful waiting” approach to treatment.
The researchers assessed the children’s behavior and health outcomes at the beginning of the study and at a seven month follow up. The kids that received the surgery to improve sleep apnea did not have an improvement in attention or executive function after the surgery. They did, however, have reduced symptoms of sleep apnea, improved behavior and quality of life.
The researchers concluded that adenotonsillectomy did have enough beneficial effects to continue recommending the surgery as a treatment option for obstructive sleep apnea.
“As compared with a strategy of watchful waiting, surgical treatment for the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in school-age children did not significantly improve attention or executive function as measured by neuropsychological testing but did reduce symptoms and improve secondary outcomes of behavior, quality of life, and polysomnographic findings, thus providing evidence of beneficial effects of early adenotonsillectomy,” concluded the study’s authors.
Ramie A. Tritt, M.D., President, Atlanta ENT
You Might Also Enjoy...
Tens of thousands of people suffer from asthma in the United States, with hundreds of those in Georgia. The instances of this disease are on the rise across the nation and the world. People who suffer from this illness have swollen and inflamed airways ...
Anyone who has chronic sinusitis is quite familiar with the pressure behind the eyes, headaches, constant dripping nose and coughing that go hand in hand with the condition. Here are some things to look out for if you are affected by chronic sinusitis:
Nasal polyps number among many causes of obstructions within the nasal passages. Such obstructions can lead to increased strain being required for the simple act of breathing. When asleep, this can often enough result in snoring.
Sleep apnea is a silent affliction that affects millions of people every year. It often goes undiagnosed, and has been associated with many health problems from tiredness and lack of focus to high blood pressure to diabetes to mental and emotional problems
You might think that you are the only one that has them, but you’re not. If you have hives, you are one of MANY! Hives (technically called “urticaria”) is a very common skin problem with the most common symptom being itchiness.
Cystic Fibrosis affects tens of thousands of people worldwide. It is an illness in which mucus builds up in the lungs and pancreas, among other organs, causing airways to become constricted and blocked.
