OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the variation in tonsil size and prevalence of asymmetric tonsils in 4- to 17-year-old schoolchildren and the relationships between tonsillar hypertrophy and frequent tonsillitis, frequent fever, and sleep-related symptoms observed by parents. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Six daycare centres, four primary schools, and four high sc...

The prevalence of OSAS in children is 0.7-3%, with peak incidence in pre-schoolers. It is characterised by partial or complete upper airway obstruction during sleep, causing intermittent hypoxia. Both anatomical (severe nasal obstruction, craniofacial anomalies, hypertrophy of the pharyngeal lymphoid tissue, laryngeal anomalies, etc.) and functional factors (neuromuscular diseases) predispose t...

INTRODUCTION Obesity is a factor that is strongly related to the occurrence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults, although this association remains controversial for children. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and upper airway charactheristics, obtained by questionnaires, physical examination and laboratory tests, among obese children with and without OSA. ME...

BACKGROUND Major risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in children include adenotonsillar hypertrophy, neuromuscular disease and syndromes such as Down's or Pierre-Robin's syndrome; there is currently no consensus concerning diagnosis and therapy. METHODS The study analyses 40 children, aged 2 through 14 years, with macroscopic tonsillar hypertrophy (without recurrent tonsi...

OBJECTIVES/BACKGROUND Previous studies have found associations between pediatric sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and socioeconomic status (SES), as well as a neighborhood-related disadvantage. This study analyzes the association among familial SES, parental occupation, and SDB in Swedish offspring. METHODS A nationwide dataset was constructed by linking Swedish census data to hospital discha...

INTRODUCTION Tonsillectomy is one of the most frequently performed surgical interventions in children. In the following, indications, preoperative evaluation, surgical techniques and postoperative complications will be discussed. METHODS Literature search in PubMed (National Library of Medicine) focusing on publications in German or English up to June 2008. RESULTS Indications are selected ...

AIM The main aim of this study was to assess the presence of behavioural disturbances in child with OSAS before and after adenotonsillectomy (AT). BACKGROUND In children adenotonsillar hypertrophy is associated with increased probability of OSAS. Children with OSAS present neurobehavioral disorders like attention deficit and hyperactivity, learning disabilities and daily attitudes due to exce...

INTRODUCTION Vitamin D has been suggested to play a considerable role in the function of the immune system in various infectious, inflammatory, and autoimmune conditions. Otitis media with effusion (OME), defined as the presence of non-purulent fluid within the middle ear without signs or symptoms of suppurative otitis media, has a number of inflammatory predisposing factors. This study was des...

Tonsillar hypertrophy is common in young children and affects several aspects of the speech such as distortions of the dento-alveolar consonants. The study objective was to assess /s/-articulation, perceptually and acoustically, in children with tonsillar hypertrophy and compare effects of two types of surgery, total tonsillectomy and tonsillotomy. Sixty-seven children, aged 50-65 months, on th...

Introduction: Adenotonsillar hypertrophy is a typical cause of surgery in children. Evaluation and identification of patients as potential candidates tonsillectomy is a primary concern for otolaryngologists. This study focuses on the results of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) after tonsillectomy in children. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study examined 50 patients suffering from t...