Which symptom is commonly used as a screening sign for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea?

Which symptom is commonly used as a screening sign for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea?

• A. Night terrors
• B. Snoring during sleep
• C. Sleepwalking
• D. Enuresis only

Answer: (B)

Snoring during sleep is commonly used as a screening sign for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea. When the airway partially blocks during sleep, air moves through the narrowed passage and produces loud snoring, which parents often notice first and prompt medical evaluation. Night terrors and sleepwalking are parasomnias—abnormal events that occur during sleep but aren’t caused by airway obstruction—so they’re not reliable indicators of OSA. Enuresis can be associated with sleep-disordered breathing, but it isn’t itself a specific screening sign; many kids with OSA don’t have bedwetting, and enuresis has other common causes.

Snoring during sleep is commonly used as a screening sign for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea. When the airway partially blocks during sleep, air moves through the narrowed passage and produces loud snoring, which parents often notice first and prompt medical evaluation.

Night terrors and sleepwalking are parasomnias—abnormal events that occur during sleep but aren’t caused by airway obstruction—so they’re not reliable indicators of OSA. Enuresis can be associated with sleep-disordered breathing, but it isn’t itself a specific screening sign; many kids with OSA don’t have bedwetting, and enuresis has other common causes.