The study appears in the April issue of the journal CHEST.

"We found that snoring was associated with presence of allergic sensitization (a condition called atopy)," according to Maninder Kalra, M.D., a physician/researcher in pulmonary medicine at Cincinnati Children's and corresponding author of the study in CHEST.

The study focused on 681 children who were on average 12 months old. Researchers found that children with at least one parent who snores more than three times per week, were three times more likely to snore themselves as compared to children of parents who did not snore frequently. Children with atopy were two times more likely to snore at least three times per week than children who did not test positive for atopy.

While there have been few studies on infants who snore, studies in older children and adults indicate that frequent snoring can lead to behavioral problems, cognitive deficits, and cardiovascular and metabolic problems. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children be screened for obstructive sleep-disordered breathing, a condition characterized by partial or complete upper airway obstruction during sleep. Snoring is the most common symptom of childhood obstructive sleep-disordered breathing.

"More than 40 million children in the western world have allergies. In addition, the incidence of allergy-related respiratory diseases is rising. Although previous studies have shown that having a history of allergic respiratory disease is a risk factor for obstructive sleep-disordered breathing, the association between atopy and habitual snoring in young children had not been studied," Dr. Kalra said.

Dr. Kalra stressed the
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Contact: Amy Reyes
amy.reyes@cchmc.org
513-636-9684
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
10-Apr-2006