Sleep Apnea Syndrome is regarded as one of the most common problems among infants that prevent them from getting a good night sleep. If untreated, it can further develop into behavioral issues and cause frequent headaches. In infants, it is more difficult to recognize than the adults.
Clues to Sleep Apnea
The most evident clue is snoring. It should be noticed that snoring is not uncommon in child but any loud or constant snoring can be a cause of the syndrome. Other symptoms associated with the child sleep issues include the weight loss, breathing problems due to tonsils in throat and nasal congestions. All of these symptoms require consultation with a child pediatrician. The debate here is not that the symptoms are a definite sign of Sleep Apnea Syndrome but only suggests that there might be a problem.
Treatment
If the condition is left untreated, it will affect the sleep cycle and than cause major biological problems. A few ENT specialist also do a sleep study called polysomnography to evaluate if irregular sleep can really be pinpointed to a specific problem. Most overweight children also face the Sleeping problems. According to the society of Pediatrics, nearly half of the overweight children are in serious risk to develop the SOA. Other major problems might include the blocking of nasal passage and tonsils that block the flow of oxygen to lungs. Surgeons recommend that it is easier and much safer to remove any tonsils at a young age than later in life. A good pediatrician will wait for a certain amount of time to initiate a surgery.
Most children can easily be diagnosed with available medicines, before they are old enough to operate. Parents are well advised to take any sleep disorder seriously and consult with a child specialist. There are numerous cases in which a child has suffered muscle and brain damage due to lack of treatment.
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