Simple Urine Test Effective in Detecting Kids Sleep Disorder

Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. These short stops in breathing usually lasts for 10 to 30 seconds and can happen up to 400 times every night. Men, people who are overweight or over the age of 40 are more likely to have sleep apnea, but it can affect anyone at any age, even children. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a common type of apnea in children, is caused by an obstruction of the airway, such as enlarged tonsils and adenoids. This is most likely to happen during sleep because that’s when the soft tissue at the back of throat is most relaxed. Children who have OSA nearly always snore, may have difficulty breathing during sleep, and may be restless during sleep and wake up often. Symptoms of OSA tend to appear in the first few years of life, but the disorder often remains undiagnosed until many years later.

Once a doctor completes an evaluation and makes a diagnosis, most cases of OSA can be treated or managed with surgery, medications and monitoring devices. Generally, a polysomnagram or overnight sleep study is used to confirm obstructive sleep apnea. It charts the child’s brain waves, heartbeat, and breathing during sleep. It also records arm and leg movements. The study requires the child and a parent or guardian to spend the night at the sleep center. In some cases other tests, including endoscopy and magnetic resonance imaging, may be used to evaluate the child’s upper airway. But a recent discovery may lead to a much simpler way to detect whether a children has OSA—a simple urine test.