Snoring In Children?
The most obvious symptom of sleep disordered breathing is loud snoring that is present on most nights. The snoring can be interrupted by complete blockage of breathing with gasping and snorting noises and associated with awakenings from sleep. Due to a lack of good quality sleep, a child with sleep disordered breathing may be irritable, sleepy during the day, or have difficulty concentrating in school. Busy or hyperactive behavior may also be observed. Bed-wetting is also frequently seen in children with sleep apnea.
A common physical cause of airway narrowing contributing to snoring and sleep apnea is enlarged tonsils and adenoids. Overweight children are at increased risk for snoring because fat deposits around the neck and throat can also narrow the airway. Children with abnormalities involving the lower jaw or tongue or neuromuscular deficits such or cerebral palsy have a higher risk of developing sleep disordered breathing.
Treatment?
Enlarged tonsils and adenoids are a common cause for snoring and sleep apnea. Surgical removal of the tonsils and adenoids is generally considered the first line treatment for pediatric sleep disordered breathing if the symptoms are significant and the tonsils and adenoids are enlarged.
(Here 8 year old child undergoes traditional adenoid removal by curettage technique in Jubiee Hospital Trivandrum, South India. He suffers from sleep apnea and snoring due to large adenoid. Coblator and microdebrider surgery is costly for a poor child to afford).