Abstract

PEDEMONTE, Virgina; GANDARO, Paula  and  SCAVONE, Cristina. Trastornos del sueño en una población de niños sanos de Montevideo: Primer estudio descriptivo. Arch. Pediatr. Urug. [online]. 2014, vol.85, n.1, pp.4-8. ISSN 1688-1249.

Sleep disorders can be associated with disturbances in child development and are commonly seen in outpatient clinics. Although it is estimated that 30% of children suffer from sleep disorders, no epidemiological studies have been reported in Uruguay. To determine the frequency of sleep disorders in healthy children of the city of Montevideo, we used the Bruni´s Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children. We analyzed children between 2 and 15 years of age attending public and private health care systems. Out of a 169 questionnaires, we observed sleep disorders in 31% of cases. Arousal disorders were the most common, followed by respiratory problems and alterations in the wake-sleep phase. In children attending public hospitals, breathing problems and sleep hyperhidrosis were most frequent; in the private care system, arousal disorders and alterations in sleep-wake phase were most common. In the preschool population the frequency of sleep disorders was 33%. In this group, sleep hyperhidrosis and respiratory problems were the most common findings. In 26% of school age children, arousal disorders were observed, in contrast 40% of adolescents showed excessive sleepiness. While 16% of the population under study showed restless sleep, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome was suspected in only 5% of cases. The high frequency of sleep disorders in children justifies further studies in this cohort of individuals.

Keywords : SLEEP DISORDERS; CHILD.

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