New Jersey Neuroscience Institute Pediatric Sleep Disorder Center:
Sleep Apnea in Overweight Kids
EDISON , NJ —Are you concerned about your child's weight? All you need to do is look around you to realize obesity is becoming epidemic, especially in children. In the last 20 years alone, the number of overweight children has increased by more than 50 percent (in the extremely overweight, numbers have actually doubled). In fact, approximately one third of all school-age children are overweight. Parents have any number of reasons for concern—weight can cause many health problems…and not just down the road when they're adults, but now, while they are still children.
Sleep apnea is one of those problems. “Overweight children are at risk for heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, asthma, orthopedic problems, hypertension, and sleep disorders,” notes Dr. Okey Anene, Director of the Children's Neurological Center at New Jersey Neuroscience Institute in Edison . Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder causing interruptions in breathing during sleep. In the overweight, the cause is often associated with throat ailments such as enlarged tonsils that create an upper airway obstruction.
One of the first tell-tale signs of sleep apnea is loud snoring, and is truly no laughing matter. Says Anene, “Sleep disorders can ultimately impact one's ability to function during wakeful times and have an impact on long-term health, wellness, and ultimately quality of life. Lack of sufficient sleep can also put children at risk for cognitive and emotional difficulties, as well as disciplinary problems and poor school performance. The cost of obesity and apnea to a child is significant.”
Early and accurate diagnosis of sleep apnea, preventative measures, and treatment are essential to managing the sleep disorder. “When a sleep concern is recognized and addressed early, the impact is minimized,” says Anene.
He notes that treatment for obstructive sleep apnea in the overweight child is most successful when the obesity is treated as well.
At the Pediatric Sleep Disorder Center at NJNI, children suffering from all types of sleep disorders, including apnea, are evaluated to determine the best course of treatment for the disorder. The Pediatric Sleep Center at NJNI is a multi-disciplinary sleep disorder center dedicated to children and young adults. The Center offers evaluation and management of a full range of sleep concerns, from the most common disorders to the most rare. Founded in 1999 and led by renowned sleep specialist Arthur S. Walters, MD, the facility offers state-of-the-art care in a conducive setting. The staff at the Center includes board certified physicians in sleep medicine, board certified pediatric neurologists, nurse clinicians, registered polysomnographic technologists, psychologists, and social workers. Pediatric pulmonologists, pediatric cardiologists, pediatric critical care physicians, pediatric general surgeons, and ear, nose and throat surgeons are readily available as consultants.
The New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center is a comprehensive facility designed exclusively for the diagnosis, treatment, and research of complex neurological and neurosurgical disorders in adults and children. Services offered at the Institute include programs in minimally-invasive and reconstructive spine surgery, peripheral nerve surgery, brain tumors, dizziness and balance disorders, epilepsy, sleep, memory problems/dementia, cerebral palsy, stroke, and spasticity and movement disorders. As a department of Seton Hall University 's School of Graduate Medical Education , NJNI serves as the clinical setting for SHU's residency training in neurology. For more information on the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute, call 732-321-7950 or visit the facility online at www.njneuro.org .