PEDIATRICS Vol. 106 No. 5 November 2000, p. e64
ELECTRONIC ARTICLE:
Snoring in Portuguese Primary School Children
Received Apr 7, 2000; accepted Jun 13, 2000.
,
,
From the * Sleep Disorders Clinic, University Hospital of
Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Department of Medical Psychology,
Faculty of Medicine of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; § Department of
Psychophysiology, Laboratory of Psychology, Minho University, Minho,
Portugal; and Kosair Children's Hospital Research Institute,
Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville School of Medicine,
Louisville, Kentucky.
Objective. To determine the prevalence of snoring and its potential associations with sleep problems, such as daytime symptoms, medical conditions, school performance, and behavioral disturbances in Portuguese children attending primary school.
Methods. A previously validated questionnaire was sent to the parents of 1381 children attending primary schools in a parish of Coimbra, Portugal. To assess behavioral disturbances, the Portuguese version of Rutter's Children's Behavior Questionnaire for completion by teachers was used.
Results. Of the 988 questionnaires returned (71.5%), complete information concerning snoring was obtained for 976 children (496 girls and 480 boys; mean age: 8.1 ± 1.5 years). Loud snoring during sleep was reported as frequent or constantly present (LSn) in 84 children (8.6%), as occasionally present in 299 children (30.6%), and as never present (NSn) by 593 children (60.8%). The LSn and NSn groups did not differ with respect to age, gender, sleep duration, time to fall asleep, frequency of night wakings, bedwetting, daytime tiredness, and school achievement. However, LSn was significantly associated with increased bedtime problems (fears and struggles), increased need for comforting activities to fall asleep, behaviors suggestive of parasomnias (sleep talking, teeth grinding, and night terrors), increased daytime sleepiness and irritability, and behavioral disturbances. Children in the LSn group were also more likely to report recurrent medical problems particularly those involving infections of the respiratory tract.
Conclusions. Snoring is a common symptom in Portuguese children that is associated with behavioral daytime and sleep time disturbances. Children with loud snoring may benefit from early evaluation and intervention. Key words: snoring, children, epidemiology, sleep patterns, behavior.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Facebook 
Reddit 
Technorati 
Twitter What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  C. E. Kuehni, M-P. F. Strippoli, E. S. Chauliac, and M. Silverman Snoring in preschool children: prevalence, severity and risk factors Eur. Respir. J., February 1, 2008; 31(2): 326 - 333. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. Ersu, A. R. Arman, D. Save, B. Karadag, F. Karakoc, M. Berkem, and E. Dagli Prevalence of Snoring and Symptoms of Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Primary School Children in Istanbul Chest, July 1, 2004; 126(1): 19 - 24. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 V. M. Crabtree, A. Ivanenko, and D. Gozal Clinical and Parental Assessment of Sleep in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Referred to a Pediatric Sleep Medicine Center Clinical Pediatrics, November 1, 2003; 42(9): 807 - 813. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. Shin, S. Joo, J. Kim, and T. Kim Prevalence and Correlates of Habitual Snoring in High School Students Chest, November 1, 2003; 124(5): 1709 - 1715. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
