REVIEW   

Otorhinolaryngology 2022 December;72(4):204-10

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-6302.22.02458-6

Copyright © 2022 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Neurocognitive and psychiatric effects of pediatric sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome secondary to adenotonsillar hyperplasia and postsurgical outcomes

Martín CÉSPEDE ¹, Luis BARAHONA ², Karina AEDO ³, Andrés ALVO ^{2, 4, 5} ✉

¹ Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile; ² Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile; ³ Unit of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Pediatrics, Clinica Alemana de Santiago, Santiago, Chile; ⁴ Unit of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital Roberto del Río, Santiago, Chile; ⁵ Otorhinolaryngology Service, Alemana de Santiago Clinic, Santiago, Chile

Adenotonsillar hyperplasia is a common condition in children, and one of its clinical manifestations is obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). This condition can have important consequences in pediatric patients, not only limited to cardiovascular and metabolic problems, but also affecting cognition, executive function, attention, behavior and favoring enuresis, depressive symptoms and hyperactivity, among others. Because of this, it is relevant to assess and treat sleep-disordered breathing, especially when associated with adenotonsillar overgrowth, in children with attention deficit disorder, mood disorders, poor school performance, among other neuropsychiatric conditions. In line with the above, the objective of this review is to provide an update on the relationship between OSAHS and neurocognitive and psychiatric disorders in pediatric patients, as well as to determine the potential role of adenotonsillectomy on these manifestations in selected patients.

KEY WORDS: Hyperplasia; Sleep apnea, obstructive; Tonsillectomy; Neurocognitive disorders