Abstract
It is reported that nocturnal secretion of growth hormone was impaired in adult patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS).
Growth hormone secretion in children is strongly associated with slow-wave sleep and the peak during slow wave sleep is generally initiated 30 to 90 min after sleep onset. The first peak is generally the largest, with secretion of as much as 24-40% of the total 24h GH output (Martin 1973). We studied the effects of growth hormone secretion during sleep in children with sleep breathing disorders.
Materials and methods:
Subjects: Between 1995. 7. 1 and 1996. 6. 30, 24 children aged 4-12 ys, 13 boys and 11 girls, mean age 7.10 ys who underwent adenotonsillectomy and who often snored were studyied.
Methods: We investigated somatomedin C levels of the children undergoing adenoton silectomy during both on pre-and postoperative states using the radioimmunoassay technique.
Analysis: During pre-and postoperative states, we compared the somatomedin C levels by statistical analysis.
Results: There was a significant increase in somatomedine C levels from 170.46±91.58 during the preoperation state to 222.0±114.29 during the postoperation state (A Student's t-test was used, p<0.001). Comparing group 1 children (having forced respiration) and group 2 children (having no forced respiration) during sleep, There was a significant increase in the somatomedin C level of group 1 children after surgery, althogh there was no significant difference with group 2 children during pre-and postoperative states.
Conclusion: It is reported that OSAS leads to disordered sleep architecture and impairment of physiologic slow-wave sleep-related growth hormone secretion. OSAS in children is often associated with tonsillar adenoidal hypertrophy.
In this study, we present findings that somatomedin C levels in children who often snore increased significantly after undergoing adenotonsilectomy.
We conclude that nocturnal secretion of growth hormone in children with sleep breathing disorders improved after adenotonsilectomy, because the rate of slow-wave sleep increased.
