CHICAGO (Reuters) - Some hyperactive children thought to be suffering
from attention deficit disorder may just be overtired because they are
bad sleepers or heavy snorers, researchers said on Monday.
"To the parent, the message is if you have a kid who is hyperactive and
snores, think about the possibility that the two may be connected," study
author David Gozal of the University of Louisville said.
In his study published in the journal Pediatrics, Gozal found roughly
one-quarter of 5- to 7-year-old children with mild symptoms of attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also snored. In some cases, the
breathing problems reached the level of sleep apnea, where breathing is
blocked repeatedly through the night and sleep is disturbed.
"Over the years, we have observed many of those cases who came off their
ADHD medications once they were treated for their sleep apnea," Gozal
said.
As many as 5 percent of American children, a majority of them boys, are
believed to be affected by ADHD, which is characterized by inattention,
impulsiveness and overactive behavior.
Gozal said some candidates for the disorder are prescribed drugs without
a very thorough evaluation as recommended by the American Academy of
Pediatrics, the pediatricians' group that publishes the journal.
"Pediatricians and parents should be aware that in a proportion of these
kids, their hyperactive symptoms may be due to the presence of snoring
and sleep apnea. Therefore, in this subset of 'hyperactive' children who
have sleep apnea, treatment of the sleep apnea should lead to marked
improvement if not complete disappearance of their hyperactivity
symptoms," Gozal said.
Copyright � 2003 Reuters Limited
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