Abstract:

Objective   To study the influence of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome on children′s growth, especially on their bone growth， by the determinations and analyses of  serum osteocalcin level and bone age,  including height, weight and other parameters. Methods   29 children，  diagnosed as OSAHS according to their history, physical examination and polysomnography， were enrolled in the experimental group and the other 13 children without sleeping snoring and dyspnoea were enrolled into the control group.  Anteroposterior (AP) Xray film was taken on the left wrist to assess the bone age, and the serum osteocalcin was measured in a fasting blood sample. Meanwhile， the height and weight data of children were measured. Results   The bone age in the experimental and control group were 6.31+1.12, and 6.45+1.57 years, respectively (t=0.15, P>0.05). The Dvalues in the bone age and the real age for the two groups showed a significant difference (t=8.07, P<0.05). The serum osteocalcin was 7.41+0.31μg/L in experimental group, and 10.22+0.50μg/L in the control group (t=10.17, P<0.05). Conclusion   Compared with the controls, the bone age of children with OSAHS was lower and the serum osteocalcin level was decreased, which indicates that OSAHS probably exerts influence on the bone growth.

Key words:  Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS); Children; Bone age; Osteocalcin; Growth and development