Recently Journal Sleep showed that children who have siblings with obstructive sleep apnea disorder are at increased risk of developing sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) takes place when the air passages become blocked during sleep,which leads to cutting of breath in frequent periods. Mostly, Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with snoring and children with this particular sleep disorder may face learning and behavioral problems.
Dr. Daniele Friberg of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and colleagues sought to evaluate the role of heredity and environment in OSA and sleep-disordered breathing by looking at hospitalization data for the entire population of Sweden age 18 and younger, a total of 2.7 million people.
Researchers were unable to make the difference between roles of genes and environment, but they suggest that both play a vital role in developing sleep apnea in children.
Read more at EurekAlert
