Waist circumference predicts the occurrence of sleep-disordered breathing in obese children and adolescents: A questionnaire-based study

Carotenuto, Marco; Bruni, Oliviero; Santoro, Nicola; del Giudice, Emanuele Miraglia; Perrone, Laura; Pascotto, Antonio

doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2006.01.005

« Previous Next »Sleep Medicine
Volume 7, Issue 4 , Pages 357-361, June 2006

Waist circumference predicts the occurrence of sleep-disordered breathing in obese children and adolescents: A questionnaire-based study

Marco Carotenuto
- Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Second University of Naples, Via Luigi Pansini no. 5-PAD XI, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 0815666695; fax: +39 0815666694.
Oliviero Bruni
- Department of Developmental Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’, Rome, Italy
Nicola Santoro
- Department of Pediatrics, Second University of Naples, Via L. De Crecchio no. 2, 80138 Naples, Italy
Emanuele Miraglia del Giudice
- Department of Pediatrics, Second University of Naples, Via L. De Crecchio no. 2, 80138 Naples, Italy
Laura Perrone
- Department of Pediatrics, Second University of Naples, Via L. De Crecchio no. 2, 80138 Naples, Italy
Antonio Pascotto
- Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Second University of Naples, Via Luigi Pansini no. 5-PAD XI, 80131 Naples, Italy

Received 9 October 2005; received in revised form 4 January 2006; accepted 10 January 2006.

Abstract

Background and purpose

To assess the presence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in a population of obese children and adolescents and to investigate the role of fat distribution in predicting SDB.

Patients and methods

One hundred and thirty-two obese children and adolescents, aged 5.0–14.2 years, were consecutively referred to the Department of Pediatrics of the Second University of Naples for screening of obesity. The control group consisted of 453, sex- and age-matched lean subjects selected from local schools in Campania region. The sleep disturbances scale for children (SDSC) questionnaire was used to evaluate SDB prevalence. In all subjects, waist circumference, triceps and sub-scapular skin folds were measured, and Z-scores were calculated.

Results

Obese subjects showed significantly higher SDB and sleep hyperhydrosis (SHY) scores than controls. The Z-score of waist circumference correlated with SDB (r=0.32; P=0.006) and SHY factor scores (r=0.37; P=0.005), while the Z-score of body mass index (BMI), triceps and sub-scapular skin folds were not correlated with any SDSC factor scores. Subjects in the higher tertile for Z-score of waist circumference had a significantly higher risk for developing SDB (OR 1.9; 95% IC 1.8–3.2) and SHY (OR 2.1; 95% IC 2.0–4.5).