Impact of Sleep Respiratory Disorders on Endothelial Function in Children

• Published in: TheScientificWorld Vol. 2013; no. 2013; pp. 1 - 6
• Main Authors: Ciccone, Marco Matteo, Miniello, Vito Leonardo, Giordano, Paola, Sassara, Marco, Fornarelli, Fara, Zito, Annapaola, Gesualdo, Michele, Scicchitano, Pietro, Tranchino, Valentina, Loscialpo, Maria, Francavilla, Ruggiero, Brunetti, Luigia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01.01.2013; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Age; Atherosclerosis; Blood Flow Velocity; Body mass index; Body size; Brachial Artery - physiopathology; Child; Clinical Study; Cytokines; Endothelium, Vascular - physiopathology; Evaluation; Families & family life; Family medical history; Female; Health risks; Humans; Male; Pediatrics; Population; Reproducibility of Results; Respiratory diseases; Risk assessment; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sleep; Sleep Apnea Syndromes - physiopathology; Studies; Values; Vasodilation
• ISSN: 2356-6140; 1537-744X
• DOI: 10.1155/2013/719456

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in children can induce endothelial dysfunction, a well-known early marker of atherosclerosis. The study aimed to evaluate a link among endothelial function (measured by flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD)), obesity (evaluated by body mass index (BMI)), and sleep disordered breathing (SDB), assessed with apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI), in a paediatric population. We demonstrated that our little OSAS patients showed an impaired endothelial function as compared to controls. In particular, the higher the AHI, the worst the FMD values and thus the endothelial function. Although the population sample is small, this study demonstrated that OSAS could impair endothelial function and worsen cardiovascular risk profile since childhood.