According to a study published in JAMA Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, adenotonsillectomy resulted in significant improvements in blood pressure for children suffering with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and hypertension, Pulmonology Advisor reports.
Researchers analyzed preoperative and postoperative polysomnographic data of children (age, <18 years) with symptoms of OSA (apnea-hypopnea index, >1) treated at National Taiwan University Hospital between January 1, 2010, and April 30, 2016. All children with OSA underwent adenotonsillectomy. Blood pressure (BP) was measured in a sleep center before (nocturnal BP) and after (morning BP) polysomnography.
A total of 240 nonobese children with OSA and a mean age of 7.3 years were recruited (66.7% boys). The apnea-hypopnea index decreased significantly from 12.1 to 1.7 events per hour after adenotonsillectomy. All patients experienced a significant decrease in nocturnal diastolic BP and morning diastolic BP. The percentage of patients with diastolic BP in the >95th percentile decreased significantly from 20.0% to 13.8% and from 21.7% to 14.2%.
