Abstract
It was reported that nocturnal secretion of growth hormone was impaired in patients with adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS). Growth hormone secretion in children is strongly associated with slow-wave sleep, and the peak generally occurs 30 to 90 minutes after sleep onset during slow-wave sleep. We studied the effects of sleep breathing disorders in children on growth hormone secretion during sleep.
Subjects and methods :
Subjects : Of children who underwent adenotonsillectomy between July I, 1995 and June 30, 1996, 21 children (13 boys and 8 girls) aged 4-12 years (mean : 7. 10 years) who had had snoring were chosen for this study.
Method : We investigated urinary growth hormone levels of the children undergoing adenotonsillectomy before and after operation using the technique of radioimmunoassay.
Analysis : We compared urinary growth hormone levels determined before and after adenotonsillectomy by statistical analysis.
Results : There was no difference in the levels of urinary growth hormone between before and after operation.
When group 1 children with forced respiration during sleep and group 2 children with no forced respiration were compared, there was significant increase in urinary growth hormane level in group 1 after surgery. But there was no significant difference in group 2 between pre-and postoperative growth hormone levels.
Conclusion : OSAS leads to disordered sleep architecture and impairs the physiologic slow-wave sleep, resulting in decreased growth hormone secretion. OSAS in children often occurs with tonsillar adenoidal hypertrophy.
In children with forced respiration during sleep, urinary growth hormone level increased significantly after adenotosillectomy.
Nocturnal secretion of growth hormone in children with sleep breathing disorders improved after adenotonsillectomy, because the rate of slow-wave sleep increased.
