Angela Militi: Department of Biomedical, Dental Science and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Riccardo Nucera: Department of Biomedical, Dental Science and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Giusy Chirieleison: Department of Biomedical, Dental Science and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Luca Fiorillo: Department of Biomedical, Dental Science and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy - lfiorillo@unime.it.
Gabriele Cervino: Department of Biomedical, Dental Science and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Marco Portelli: Department of Biomedical, Dental Science and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
INTRODUCTION: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a complex disorder with significant clinical consequences for people with Down Syndrome (DS). OSAS is frequently seen in individuals with DS and, when present, tends to be more severe than in individuals without this syndrome. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: The analysis was carried out on PubMed, Google Scholar and Cochrane library databases. The literature review identified nine studies suitable for our evaluations according to the established inclusion criteria. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: The results of the study suggest that OSAS may be a common comorbidity in adolescents with DS; according to literature evidences a widespread screening and treatment in children with DS is undoubtedly useful. There is also evidence about an association between sleep disturbance and functional activities of daily living in children with DS. CONCLUSIONS: The studies reviewed confirm that OSAS appears to occur at higher rates and greater severity in the population of children with DS. However, at present, there are no reliable clinical predictors of OSAS for this population of children.
