Neighborhood Disadvantage Not Tied to Severe Sleep Apnea in Children

TUESDAY, Aug. 15, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Neighborhood-level social disadvantage is not significantly associated with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children, according to a study published online June 20 in Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology.

Jenny Kim, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues examined the relationship between neighborhood-level advantage and severe OSA in children. Analysis included 249 children who underwent adenotonsillectomy and had full-night polysomnography conducted within the six previous months.

The researchers found that there was no significant difference in the median apnea-hypopnea index or the presence of severe OSA between the more and less disadvantaged groups. There was an association seen between severe OSA and obesity (odds ratio, 3.13). Residual moderate or greater OSA was associated with older age (odds ratio, 1.20).

"The area deprivation index was not significantly associated with severe OSA or residual OSA in this cohort of children," the authors write. "Although more neighborhood-level disadvantage may increase the risk of comorbidities associated with OSA, it was not an independent risk factor in this study."

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