Association Between Severe Obesity and Pediatric Obstructive Apnea—A Retrospective Case Series

• DOI: 10.1002/ohn.1295
• Publication Date: 2025-05-14T11:35:11Z
• Authors: Tyler A. Durham; Basir S. Mansoor; Stephen R. Chorney; Ron B. Mitchell; Alex Najjar; Romaine F. Johnson
• Keywords: Interquartile range; Apnea–hypopnea index

Abstract Objective To investigate the impact of severe obesity on severity pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Study Design Retrospective case series. Setting Tertiary stand‐alone hospital. Methods Consecutive children with (≥95th percentile body mass index [BMI]) who underwent full‐night polysomnography between January 2021 and December were analyzed. Patients categorized into BMI <120% 95th percentile) (≥120% BMI). The association OSA was assessed using multiple logistic regression. Results study included 282 patients a median age 9.2 years (interquartile range 5.9‐12.3), 63% male, 65% Hispanic. In total, 53% severely obese. Severely obese had higher prevalence (53% vs 33%, P < .001) very (apnea‐hypopnea ≥ 24; 24% 11%, = .006). Multiple regression revealed that associated (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.82‐6.53; after adjusting for age, sex, tonsillar hypertrophy. Among 170 posttonsillectomy polysomnography, 29% exhibited residual OSA, 19% having OSA. Class 3 (aOR 4.05, CI 1.09‐15.00). Conclusion Children face substantial disturbances heightened risk following adenotonsillectomy.