 | | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Kids who are not getting enough sleep because of breathing disorders may benefit from a tonsillectomy. A new study reveals removing tonsils can improve sleep and behavior in some children.
Researchers from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City report children diagnosed with sleep-disordered breathing experience better sleep and may even have improved behavior once their tonsils and adenoids have been removed.
Text Continues Below
Breathing disorders responsible for disrupting the sleep of children can include snoring, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and other conditions affecting air flow, according to study authors. Previous studies have linked sleep problems to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), poor academic performance, bedwetting and sleepiness during the day.
Researchers studied 117 children diagnosed with sleep-disordered breathing. Each of the children had their tonsils and adenoids removed. Parents filled out surveys about their childrens sleep and behavior before the surgery and again six months later.
Not only did both behavior and sleep improve independently before and after adenotonsillectomy for sleep-disordered breathing in our group of patients, but they also improved in correlation with each other, write study authors.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Archives of Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surgery, 2007;133:974-979
|
.gif)
