Blood Pressure Changes After Adenotonsillectomy in Children With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

To the Editor Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which is mainly characterized by repetitive airway obstructions, intermittent hypoxia and arousals, occurs in 1% to 4% of children. Whereas OSA in adults is predominantly attributed to obesity, in children airway obstruction is mainly associated with adenotonsillar hypertrophy. Growing evidence has demonstrated that children with OSA, similar to adults, are affected by cardiovascular diseases, with cumulative reports on association between pediatric OSA and the development of hypertension and impaired nocturnal blood pressure (BP) dipping and BP variability. Treatment of OSA in children by adenotonsillectomy is associated with gradual improvement in elevated BP.

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