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Sleep apnea in children affects height or concentration problems
More than 100,000 people in Hong Kong suffer from sleep apnea, but most of them do not know they have the disease. In addition to adults, children can also become ill. The specialist in ear, nose and throat medicine Dr. Liu Weiye pointed out that childhood children may have long-term effects on their growth, brain development, and emotional and concentration problems. Long-term mouth breathing also leads to an adenoid form, which affects the appearance. and reminds parents to pay more attention.
Sleep apnea is a very common sleep disorder. Patients stop breathing for a period of time while sleeping, usually for 10 seconds or longer. When a significant amount of apnea occurs every hour, it can be defined as sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be mainly divided into obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea, with obstructive sleep apnea being more common. Liu Weiye said: “When the patient sleeps, the neck muscles relax, causing congestion of the soft tissue and causing the patient to stop breathing.”
Long-term impact on growth
The most obvious symptom of sleep apnea is snoring while sleeping. Family members will also observe that they stop breathing for a period of time. The patient also becomes tired and sleepy the next day, and his energy, memory and temperament also deteriorate. Symptoms are similar in adults and children, but since children are in the growing stage, poor sleep quality can affect their growth and make them smaller; Brain development is also affected and they tend to fall asleep and lose energy in class, mood, etc. On the other hand, problems such as lack of concentration or overactivity may arise.
In addition, due to nasal sensitivity, patients with snoring get used to breathing through the mouth for a long time, which in the long term may develop into adenoid forms such as: B. Whistling teeth, shortened upper lip, outwardly directed nostrils, underdeveloped palate, shortened chin, etc., such as: B. Without treatment, it cannot be turned back after growth is completed, which will affect the appearance; it can also increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, etc. when you grow up.
Albert Lau pointed out that sleep apnea can affect children’s growth in the long term.
The adenoids or tonsils are too large or blocked, causing the person to stop breathing.
Parents should pay more attention
Liu Weiye mentioned that parents’ vigilance is very important: “If children experience symptoms such as loud snoring, mouth breathing and nasal sensitivity, they should be suspicious and undergo further examination, diagnosis and treatment. The later symptoms include growth, facial appearance and psychological problems.”
To diagnose sleep apnea, the doctor first makes a clinical assessment and checks for problems such as adenoids, tonsils, and nasal sensitivity. He then conducts a sleep test for the patient. That is, the patient uses instruments to monitor breathing, oxygen levels, heart rate, lung and other symptoms while sleeping. Based on the movements of the legs, doctors can accurately determine the number of suffocation attacks per hour and make recommendations depending on the severity.
Various treatments for adults and children
Treatment for sleep apnea is different for adults and children. Adults will advocate the use of teethers, ventilators, etc. as initial treatment. If this is unacceptable, surgery will be considered. On the contrary, children will generally try to control sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be treated with medication, except for very mild sleep apnea. If nasal sensitivity, weight loss, etc. are unsuccessful or the condition is more serious, surgery is recommended. “For example, if the adenoids or tonsils are too large and causing constipation,” surgery may be considered; If medications cannot effectively control nasal sensitivity, reduction of the lower part of the adenoids or tonsils may be considered. “Turbinates make breathing easier.”
To solve the problem of their children sleeping with their mouths open, some parents use tape to close their mouths. Liu Weiye said that this method is not feasible. Mouth breathing is often due to a stuffy nose. The nasal cavity must first be obstructed, for example by medication or surgery, you can train to breathe through your nose. If they just plug their mouths, they won’t be able to breathe and will wake up easily. It is recommended to fix the problem at the root.
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