New six-item scale predicts sleep apnea in children

(HealthDay)—A newly developed six-question scale has good predictive utility for identifying obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children, according to a study published online April 25 in Pediatric Anesthesia.

Vidya T. Raman, M.D., from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and colleagues adapted questions from the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire-Sleep-Related Breathing Disorder (SRBD) Questionnaire to develop a predictive scale for OSA. They further assessed whether adding anthropometric measurements (body mass index and neck circumference) improved prediction of OSA.

The researchers collected information from 636 patients (aged 6 to 18 years) scheduled for polysomnography. They were able to develop a long scale of 16 questions constructed from univariate models and a six-item short scale selected from multivariable regression. A greater likelihood of moderate/severe OSA was seen with the short scale, which attained good predictive value (area under receiver operating characteristics curve [AUC], 0.74). Predictive value was not significantly improved with the addition of BMI and neck circumference data (AUC, 0.75).

"These findings may contribute to developing a preoperative clinical tool to help clinicians identify children with OSA for determining risk stratification and postoperative disposition," the authors write.

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