Childhood obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been mentioned before in one or more of my articles. The sleep specialists in our practice do not see children but I came across some interesting information about the risks of children developing influenza and Covid that I wanted to pass on.
The information comes from a large study conducted on over 500,000 children through their de-identified medical records. What was found in this study was surprising. Children with obstructive sleep are nearly twice as likely to develop influenza or Covid compared with children that do not have sleep apnea.
OSA in children significantly increases the risk of developing pneumonia from both influenza (2 times the risk) and Covid-19 (26 times the risk). What does this mean for parents with children having OSA or snoring? You should prioritize vaccinations, promote good sleep habits and tell your pediatrician if your child snores routinely.
One additional interesting finding in this study was that the removal of the tonsils and related lymph node tissue from the back of the throat, so-called adenotonsillectomy did not reduce any of this risk.
As I mentioned, our office does not care for children, but this information is important for any family, and you probably would not have heard it anywhere else. If you have concerns about the possibility of sleep apnea in your son or daughter, talk to your pediatrician or family doctor. Influenza and Covid-19 infections may be seriously harmful in the young. Just so you know.
