uOttawa News

OTTAWA, April 1, 2014  —  Clinical investigators at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) have developed a new screening tool to help diagnose obstructive sleep apnea in children. Their findings were published in Pediatric Pulmonology.

Evidence suggests that adults with a large neck circumference are more likely to develop obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), especially males. As neck circumference varies by age and sex, there have been no reference ranges to diagnose pediatric OSA up until now. The new evidence-based diagnostic tool includes reference ranges — a new pediatric growth curve — to measure and track neck circumference for boys and girls between the ages of 6 and17.

“The gold standard test (for OSA) is still a sleep study and we would not replace that, but because the wait is so long, we needed something quick and reliable to help bump kids up the priority list or to better understand who is at the highest risk for OSA,” said Dr. Sherri Katz, assistant professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa principal investigator at the CHEO Research Institute.  “If left untreated, OSA sets kids up for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other comorbid conditions down the line.”

The research team discovered for children, a neck circumference measuring greater than the 95th percentile for age and sex is associated with increased risk of OSA. When examined by sex, the association was significant in males aged 12 or older, but not in females. The research team also looked at Body Mass Index (BMI), but did not find that it stands alone as a significant predictor of OSA in this group.

“In older males, as in adults, neck size is a predictor of OSA. This suggests that in adults, it is not just overall obesity, but body fat distribution centrally— in the trunk and neck— that predicts the risk of OSA,” said Katz.

This research was conducted at CHEO with input from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Ottawa. Data was collected at CHEO and included the Canadian Health Measures Survey Data collected by Statistics Canada.  This project was funded by the CHEO Research Institute.

About the University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is the largest bilingual university in the world. Students can study in English, in French, or in both languages. Located in the capital of Canada, a G8 nation, we are committed to research excellence and encourage an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation. Our breakthroughs in health, science, social sciences and the humanities attract global attention, reflecting our ranking among Canada’s top 10 research universities and our ongoing drive to discover.

About the CHEO Research Institute
The CHEO Research Institute coordinates the research activities of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and is affiliated with the University of Ottawa. Its three programs of research include molecular biomedicine, health information technology and evidence to practice research. Key themes include cancer, diabetes, obesity, mental health, emergency medicine, musculoskeletal health, electronic health information and privacy, and genetics of rare disease. The CHEO Research Institute makes discoveries today for healthier kids tomorrow. For more information, visit www.cheori.org.

Information for media:

Kina Leclair
Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
Cell: 613-762-2908
kleclair@uOttawa.ca

Adrienne Vienneau
CHEO Research Institute
Direct: 613-737-7600 ext. 4144
Cell: 613-513-8437
avienneau@cheo.on.ca

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