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MedWire News:
Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with a significantly
increased risk for behavior problems among children with asthma, US
research shows.
Previous studies have
suggested that asthma in childhood is associated with an increased risk
for behavior and sleeping problems, but it is not known whether SDB
independently increases the risk for behavior problems in asthmatic
children, explain Maria Fagnano (University of Rochester School of
Medicine and Dentistry, New York), and team.
To investigate, the
researchers studied data on 194 asthmatic children, aged between 4 and
10 years, who were participating in an urban school-based asthma
intervention program. In total, 66% of the children were Black, 56%
were male, and 73% were insured with Medicaid.
The team used an amended
version of the Sleep-Related Breathing Disorder Questionnaire to assess
snoring and sleepiness among the children, with a score of more than
0.33 indicating SDB.
Behavior problems among
the children were assessed with the caregiver-completed Behavior
Problem Index (BPI), which includes eight behavioral subdomains.
The researchers found
that, overall, 33% of the children experienced SDB, and these children
were more likely to have significant behavioral problems than children
without SDB, as indicated by respective scores on the BPI of 13.7 vs
8.8, with a higher score indicating greater behavioral problems.
Children with SDB also
scored significantly higher (worse) than other children on several
subdomains of the BPI, including externalizing (9.4 vs 6.3),
internalizing (4.4 vs 2.5), anxious/depressed (2.4 vs 1.3), headstrong
(3.2 vs 2.1), antisocial (2.3 vs 1.7), hyperactive (3.0 vs 1.8), and
immature (2.0 vs 1.5).
“We found that
poor sleep was independently associated with behavior problems in a
large proportion of urban children with asthma,” Fagnano and
team conclude in the journal Pediatrics.
They add that, although further
research is needed, “systematic screening for SDB in this
high-risk population might help to identify children who would benefit
from additional intervention.” |
