Pulmonological issues.

Pediatric leukodystrophies are rare neurodegenerative diseases involving multiple systems. Each form has unique neurologic features but are characterized by encephalopathy with accompanying impairments evidenced in reflexes, muscle tone and movement control. Weakness of expiratory, inspiratory, and upper airway muscles may lead to impaired airway secretion clearance resulting in recurrent respiratory infections, dysphagia, sleep-disordered breathing, restrictive lung disease, and ultimately chronic respiratory insufficiency.

Women are underrepresented in major US sleep societies recognition awards.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To investigate gender distribution of US sleep professionals who received major recognition awards over a 40-year period from the 2 national sleep societies: the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. METHODS: We reviewed and analyzed the publicly available lists of sleep recognition awards recipients from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society websites. The primary outcome measures were the overall proportion of individual sleep recognition awards given to US men and women sleep professionals and the trend over time (1981-2020) analyzed by decade using the Cochran-Armitage test. RESULTS: Seven major sleep recognition awards (4 by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and 3 by the Sleep Research Society) were identified over 40 years. There were overall 164 individual sleep recognition awards presented by the 2 sleep societies to US sleep professionals, including 136 (82.9%) awarded for men and only 28 (17.1%) awarded for women. The analysis of the sleep recognition awards over time by decade revealed a significant increasing trend (P < .0001) in the proportion of awards recognizing women relative to men, with a progression from 0.0% in the 1980s to 3.4% in the 1990s to 13.1% in the 2000s and to 31.7% in the 2010s. CONCLUSIONS: US women sleep professionals were historically underrepresented in major sleep recognition awards, with a reduction in the gender gap in the last 10 years. The reasons behind gender inequality in sleep recognition awards remain unclear and deserve further investigation. CITATION: Naime S, Karroum EG. Women are underrepresented in major US sleep societies recognition awards. J Clin Sleep Med. 2021;17(8):1665-1673.

Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on adherence to obstructive sleep apnea therapy: A case report.

Telemedicine and remote monitoring are valuable tools to address inadequate obstructive sleep apnea compliance during the current pandemic.

Central breathing abnormalities in children with trisomy 21: Effect of age, sex, and concomitant OSA.

BACKGROUND: Trisomy 21 (TS21) is a condition with a high risk for sleep apnea. In the pediatric population, the risk also includes central breathing disorders. The aim of this study was to define the clinical and polysomnographic characteristics of central apnea in infants, children, and adolescents with TS21. METHODS: Retrospective review of baseline polysomnograms (PSGs) in children with TS21 in the sleep center at Children's National Medical Center in Washington DC. RESULTS: We included a total of 158 infants, children, and adolescents (0-18 years) with TS21 in this study. The median age was 4.82 years and 62% were male. The primary findings of the study are that (1) 12% of all pediatric subjects with TS21 included had a central apnea index (CAI) > 2/h; (2) the proportion of TS21 individuals with central breathing abnormalities progressively decreased with age being common in young individuals (≤2 years of age) but rare after 10 years of age; (3) additional sleep breathing disturbances (e.g., OSA and/or hypoxemia) are often present in children with TS21 and central apnea; and (4) the prevalence of central breathing abnormalities in TS21 is influenced by sex, being more likely to persist beyond early childhood (>2 years of age) in females than in males. CONCLUSION: Central breathing abnormalities are common in TS21 among young children (≤2 years of age) and in females older than 2 years of age. Central apnea is often associated with concomitant obstructive sleep apnea and/or hypoxemia in children with TS21.

Aerodigestive Approach to Chronic Cough in Children.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Chronic cough is the most common presenting complaint in a pediatric aerodigestive clinic. The etiology of chronic cough is varied and often includes more than one organ system. This review aims to summarize the current literature for a multidisciplinary approach when evaluating a child with chronic cough. RECENT FINDINGS: There is very little medical literature focused on a multidisciplinary approach to chronic cough. In the limited data available, multidisciplinary clinics have been shown to be more cost-efficient for the families of children with complex medical problems, and also increase the likelihood of successfully obtaining a diagnosis. SUMMARY: There is no consensus in the literature on how to work-up a child with chronic cough presenting to an aerodigestive clinic. Current studies from these clinics have shown improved outcomes related to cost-effectiveness and identifying definitive diagnoses. Future studies evaluating clinical outcomes are necessary to help delineate the utility of testing routinely performed, and to demonstrate the impact of interventions from each specialty on quality of life and specific functional outcome measures.