Prioritising Polysomnography in Children with Suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: Key Roles of Symptom Onset and Sleep Questionnaire Scores.

Background/objectives: Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome (OSA) in children disrupts normal breathing patterns and sleep architecture, potentially leading to severe consequences. Early identification and intervention are crucial to prevent these issues. This study explored the relationships between waiting times for polysomnography (PSG), clinical history, patient age at the time of PSG, and PSG outcomes in children.

Methods: Two hundred and fourteen children were prospectively enrolled. Data were extracted from medical records regarding the patients' age at the time of a referral for PSG and their age at the time of its execution. Information on the waiting times for PSG, a diagnosis (primary snoring, mild, moderate, and severe OSA), and a history of snoring and apnoea were also collected. Additional data included medications, surgical interventions, passive smoke exposure, and allergies. The records also included the Paediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ).

Results: The patient age at the time of a PSG prescription was lower for patients with a short history of sleep apnoeas (≤12 months; 4.6 (SD 2.6) years) compared to those with a long history (>12 months; 5.5 (SD 2.7) years; p = 0.027). The waiting time from prescription to PSG execution was shorter for patients with a short history of sleep apnoea (4.1 (SD 3.8) months) compared to those with a longer history (5.9 (SD 3.8) months; p = 0.001). A higher frequency of having an adenotonsillectomies before a PSG prescription was observed in the long-history group compared to the short-history group (13.3% vs. 6.9%). Conversely, a higher frequency of adenoidectomies before a PSG prescription was noted in the short-history group compared to the long-history group (9.7% vs. 1.3%).

Conclusions: This study found that younger children with a shorter history of OSA are diagnosed and evaluated earlier than older children with a longer history of the condition, suggesting that prolonged symptoms may delay a diagnosis. ENT surgeries also vary among patients, with less invasive procedures (adenoidectomy) being more common in younger children with shorter histories of OSA. The increasing awareness of OSA highlights the need for improved access to diagnostic and treatment resources.