Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in children

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) was first described by Charles Dickens in 'The Pickwick Papers,' with the first professional mention of OSAS in the medical literature in the British Medical Journal in 1889 (Hill, 1889). Obstructive sleep apnea is usually related to some combination of decreased upper airway patency (upper airway obstruction), reduced capacity to maintain airway patency (decreased upper airway diameter and muscle tone), and the decreased drive to breath in the face of reduced upper airway patency (reduced central ventilatory drive) (Mindell & Owens, 2003). Due to the alterations in the aforementioned children's respiratory status, clinical practice guidelines have been formulated to address obstructive sleep apnea in children.