A National Survey of Pediatric Sleep‐Disordered Breathing

Abstract

Objective: This study estimated the national childhood prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing in a random population sample from The Swedish Population Register including all residents and compared it to data from The National Board of Health and Welfare where all tonsillectomies are registered. Method: The validated OSA 18 questionnaire was mailed twice to the caretakers of 1320 randomly selected children aged 0-11 stratified by gender, age group, and area of residence. The OSA 18 includes questions regarding sleep disordered breathing, physical and emotional symptoms, daytime function, and caretakers' concerns during the last month. Results: The questionnaire was answered by 754 subjects (57%); 3.5% of the children had an OSA 18 score >60 indicating OSAS, and in this group 63% were not assessed by the healthcare. The highest prevalence was found in the 3-5 year olds, and it was higher in boys than girls. Area of residence and age adjusted BMI did not affect the results. Loud snoring “always” or “often” was reported among 4.8% of the children and was significantly associated with male gender and night sweats. In Sweden, 7000 tonsillectomies are performed each year in this age group, representing 0.4% of the population. Conclusion: This general population study shows that sleep disordered breathing is common in children and that many symptomatic children are undiagnosed. Comparison with the national tonsillectomy registry indicates that less than 15% of the children at risk of having OSAS are treated with tonsillectomy in Sweden.