Contact:
Julian Mattocks
Phone: +43-1-81140-308
E-Mail: mattocks@pressetext.com
| Pressbox | 
|
London (pte036/02.12.2004/13:00) - Obese children suffer from undetected sleep disorders, which could be affecting their performance at school, a study by the Royal London Hospital http://www.bartsandthelondon.org.uk has revealed. The researchers studied 63 children diagnosed as very obese. 54 of the children tested had a condition called obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), a severe form of snoring. According to the BBC, the team say that all overweight children should be checked for the condition.
Although the majority of the OSA cases were mild, 14 had a moderate or severe form of the condition. In OSA, the airflow is restricted during sleep, which leads to a fall in oxygen levels in the blood. According to the researchers, obesity and OSA is still an area which is under studied, particularly among children. "Awareness of OSA is limited and often diagnosed. Left untreated, these children may suffer daytime sleepiness resulting in poor concentration and leading to poor performance at school," said one of the research team. "Currently, resources in district general hospitals are insufficient to diagnose and treat OSA but we need to be able to establish the best way to investigate and treat obese children with OSA if they can't lose weight, which many can't," he added.
Between 1989 and 1998, obesity nearly doubled among children aged two to four from five per cent to nine per cent. Amongst children aged six to 15, obesity rates trebled from five per cent in 1990 to 16 per cent in 2001. According to figures published by the Liberal Democrats, the number of children receiving treatment for OSA had increased 15-fold from just three cases in 1997 to 48 cases in 2002/3. According to Ian Campbell, chief executive of the National Obesity Forum, the reminder that OSA affects overweight and obese children was concerning. "Children who are overweight or obese have a hard enough time at school. But if they are unable to perform to their maximum potential, it is worrying for their future, not just for their health, but also for their school and educational achievements," he said.
(end)
|
|
