Severe Obesity Is a Risk Factor for Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Obese Children
Kanokporn Udomittipong MD*, Nitipatana Chierakul MD*, Pimon Ruttanaumpawan MD*, Wattanachai Chotinaiwattarakul MD*, Chakraphan Susiva MD*, Khunphon Mahoran BSc*, Suwat Tangchityongsiva BSc*
Affiliation : * Siriraj Sleep Center, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
Objective : To determine the association between degree of obesity and severity of OSA in Thai children
Material and Method: The present retrospective study recruited obese children aged 3 to 15 years who had habitual snoring
and underwent polysomnography (PSG) between January 2009 and June 2010. Obesity was defined as percentage of ideal
weight for height (%W/H) > 120 and was classified as mild (%W/H of 120-139), moderate (140-159), severe (160-199) and
morbid (> 200). OSA was classified as severe (AHI > 10) and non-severe (AHI < 10).
Results : Of 73 obese children, the mean age was 9.92 + 3.42 years of which 60.3% were boys. The mean + SD of BMI was
28.38 + 5.99 kg/m2 and %W/H + SD was 162.63 + 26.26. Gender, age, height, weight and BMI were not significantly different
between severe and non-severe OSA groups. However, the %W/H of the severe OSA group (171.38% + 29.54%) was
significantly greater than the non-severe group (157.19% + 22.68%) (p = 0.02). Severe to morbid obesity (OR 2.80, 95% CI
1.06-7.42; p = 0.038) and enlarged tonsils at least 3+ (OR 3.28, 95% CI 1.22-8.81; p = 0.018) were the risk factors for
severe OSA.
Conclusion : Severe to morbid obesity was a predicting factor for severe OSA. These results suggested that severely obese
children with snoring should have early recognition for severe OSA, which is highly contributing to multiple sequalae.
Keywords : OSA, Obese children, Obesity, Obstructive sleep apnea
