Pediatric sleep questionnaire predicts more severe sleep apnea in children with uncontrolled asthma.

OBJECTIVE: While up to 35% of children with asthma have evidence of sleep disordered breathing (SDB), it is unclear if nocturnal symptoms stem from asthma itself or SDB. The Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ) is a validated tool for identifying SDB in childhood asthma. We hypothesize children with asthma and abnormal PSQ demonstrate decreased asthma control and are at higher risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). METHODS: We performed a retrospective, chart review of children and young adults referred to our tertiary children's hospital severe asthma clinic. Data collection included age, gender, BMI percentile, spirometry, PSQ, asthma control questionnaires, asthma severity, control, and impairment. These data were evaluated in the context of polysomnography, when available. RESULTS: 205 inner-city children were included; 37.2% female, median age 6.4 y, and mean BMI of 71.3%ile. Rhinitis (p = 0.028), eczema (p = 0.002), and reflux (p = 0.046) were associated with abnormal PSQ; however, overweight/obese status, spirometry, asthma severity, and serologic markers were not. After correcting for comorbidities, abnormal PSQ score was associated with poor asthma control based on validated measures (p < 0.001). In patients with polysomnography, we confirmed abnormal PSQ was associated with increased OSA severity (apnea-hypopnea index 9.1/hr vs. 3.6/hr; p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: In pediatric asthma, positive PSQ was associated with significantly decreased asthma control. Additionally, children with normal PSQ demonstrated mild OSA, while children with abnormal PSQ had increased severity of OSA. This demonstrates that PSQ can be used to screen children for more severe sleep apnea.

Sino-Nasal 5 Questionnaire is Associated with Poor Asthma Control in Children with Asthma.

Up to 80% of asthmatic children may experience upper airway symptoms which are often perceived as coming from the lower airways. Currently, there are no validated questionnaires to assess upper airway contribution to pediatric asthma symptoms. The Sino-Nasal 5 (SN-5) questionnaire was previously validated for identifying radiographic confirmed sinus disease in children. In this study, we hypothesize that significant SN-5 scores (≥3.5) are associated with abnormal National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) based asthma impairment and control in asthmatic children. Retrospective data collected on children with asthma referred for pulmonary evaluation included age, gender, ethnicity, NAEPP asthma severity, asthma control (Test for Respiratory and Asthma Control in Kids (TRACK) < 5 years, Asthma Control Test (ACT) 5 years) and pulmonary function testing. Associations between SN-5 scores and asthma impairment and control were identified. Seventy-six children were evaluated; 38% were female with a mean age of 6.9 years. Significant SN-5 scores were associated with decreased control of daytime symptoms (odds ratio (OR): 0.16 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.06-0.44)), night time awakenings (0.09 (0.03-0.29)), activity interference (0.2 (0.06-0.68)), NAEPP defined asthma control (0.32 (0.12-0.85)) and poor asthma control based on TRACK (p < 0.001) and ACT (p < 0.001). This suggests upper airways may play a larger role in perceived lower airway symptoms, and SN-5 may be beneficial in assessing the contribution of upper airway conditions on asthma control.