Polysomnography, a new modality in evaluating sleep disorders in children

ABSTRACT

Relatively, little is known about sleep disturbances among children, this descriptive study, examined a variety of common sleep behaviors in a group of 500 elementary school children aged from 4 to 10 years [median 7 years], using a battery of sleep questionnaires. The prevalence of parent-defined sleep problems ranged from head banging [3.2%] to teeth grinding [19.2%] and bed wetting [21.2%] with 94 children [/8.8%] of over all sample described as having significant sleep problems. Polysomnographic recordings were obtained from 21 children with severe sleep disturbances rhythmic movement disorders [4 children], obstructive sleep apnea syndrome [OSAS] 5 children, nocturnal enuresis [5 children] and other parasomnias constitute 7 children. One of the four children with rhythmic movement disorders proved by polysomnographic records [EEG] to had nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy, while 3 children out of the five children with clinically suspected OSAS met its polysomnographic criteria. We concluded from this study that sleep disturbances are common in school aged children and polysomnography is of great value in diagnosis of OSAS and violent nocturnal movements