Respiratory tract infections are common illnesses in children, causing significant morbidity and negatively affecting their health. Vitamin A protects against infections and maintains epithelial integrity. The goal of this study was to determine the correlation between vitamin A deficiency and recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTIs). Participants in this cross-sectional study were divided into 3 groups: RRTIs (including patients with history of RRTIs presenting with respiratory tract infection symptoms), RTI (including patients without history of RRTIs presenting with respiratory tract infection symptoms), and control (including children who came for a routine health checkup without a history of RRTIs or respiratory tract infection symptoms). The vitamin A assay was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography. The study included 550 children aged 6.64 ± 2.61 years. The RRTIs group included 150 children (27.3%), the RTI group included 300 children (54.5%), and the control group included 100 children (18.2%). Subclinical vitamin A deficiency and vitamin A deficiency affected 3.1% and 1.3% of subjects, respectively. Subclinical vitamin A deficiency and vitamin A deficiency were higher in children with RRTIs than in those with RTI (8% vs 1.3%, P = .001 and 4% vs 0.3%, P = .006). Additionally, children with RRTIs had significantly higher rates of subclinical vitamin A deficiency and vitamin A deficiency than those in the control group, which had 1% subclinical vitamin A deficiency (P = .017) and no cases of vitamin A deficiency (P = .043). The RRTIs group had higher rates of otitis media (27.3%), sinusitis (20%), and pneumonia (4.7%) than the RTI group (P = .002). Vitamin A insufficiency was associated with RRTIs in children.

was normalized in 7 out of 16 patients (44%). However, residual OSA in DS children is due to multilevel obstruction. 16,17,19 Also, we cannot ignore the craniofacial morphology of those children, such as midface hypoplasia and micrognathic jaw that could lead to narrowing of the airway. 1,2 Best et al 11 have detected the persistence of moderate to severe OSA in 40% of DS patients who underwent additional surgical procedures after adenotonsillectomy, yet, the authors achieved improvement in overall AHI. As well, Maris et al 12 obtained a success rate of 56.6% for residual OSA after adenotonsillectomy on DISE-directed treatment, anyway the authors considered an AHI < 5 to be successful.There are some limitations in our study. First, our study sample was small as we included only DS children who underwent adenotonsillectomy and still had OSA observed primarily by parents. However, parental observation is a subjective method and the disease may be missed. Second, we did not use cine-MRI for the detection of the obstructive level, as the procedure could need anesthesia in the radiology department which is an additional step in a different place. However, cine-MRI is a sensitive-noninvasive procedure that could detect obstructive lesions accurately. 19 So, a large study group is needed to assess the DISE-directed treatment option, and we need to correlate it with cine-MRI to achieve the best diagnostic method for persistent OSA after adenotonsillectomy in DS children.In conclusion, persistent OSA in DS children after adenotonsillectomy is not rare, and DISE is a useful method for detection of the cause of UAO. DISE can be done in the operating theatre as a preoperative step during induction of anesthesia. DISE-directed treatment is an effective procedure for persistent OSA in DS children who underwent adenotonsillectomy. However, residual UAO in those children may be due to many characteristic features that cause narrowing of the airway.

Background and Objectives: Determination of the impact of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on the cognitive function (CF), and serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6 and 1β levels and the effect of OSA management on these variables in children. Materials and Methods: A total of 224 patients were evaluated using the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire, the NEPSY score for CF, and polysomnography (PSG) to grade OSA severity according to the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI). Adentonsillectomy (AT) was performed for patients with adenotonsillar hypertrophy grade > 2. Patients with overweight or obesity with mild or moderate OSAS underwent a 6-month protocol of lifestyle intervention (LSI). Blood samples were obtained for an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) estimation of cytokine levels. All variables were re-evaluated at the end of the 6-month follow-up period. Results: A total of 181 patients had surgical interference and 43 patients underwent a LSI trial; 15 patients failed to respond and underwent surgery. At the end of the follow-up, 33 patients had residual OSAS with a significantly higher incidence among patients with severe OSAS, the mean score of the pediatric sleep questionnaire was significantly decreased in all patients, 181 patients showed an improved NESPY score, and cytokine levels were decreased. The baseline NESPY score, AHI index and sleep questionnaire score were negatively correlated. The percentage of change in the NESPY score and serum cytokine levels showed a positive correlation. Conclusions: OSAS is associated with cognitive dysfunction that significantly improves after adenotonsillectomy. LSI as a therapeutic line is satisfactory for children with mild OSAS and minimal cognitive dysfunction and is of value preoperatively to improve the surgical outcomes of AT.

Background and Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep-related respiratory disorder that affects between 5% and 20% of the population. In obstructive sleep apnea, lingual tonsillar hypertrophy (LTH) has been suggested as a contributing factor to airway blockage. Objectives: The aim of this work is to demonstrate the polysomnographic indices and their values in OSA patients with LTH before and after the surgical intervention. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on eighteen patients endoscopically diagnosed as having LTH, with the main complaints being snoring, sleep apnea, and/or sleep disturbance. Clinical examination, grading of LTH, body mass index (BMI), endoscopic assessment using Muller’s maneuver, and sleep endoscopy were recorded for all patients. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and overnight sleep polysomnography (PSG) were conducted before and after the surgical removal of LTH. All data were submitted for statistical analysis. Results: The mean ± SD of the AHI decreased from 33.89 ± 26.8 to 20.9 ± 19.14 postoperatively, and this decrease was of insignificant statistical value. The average SpO2 (%) mean ± SD was 91.14 ± 5.96, while the mean ± SD of the desaturation index was 34.64 ± 34.2. Following surgery, these indices changed to 96.5 ± 1.47 and 9.36 ± 7.58, respectively. The mean ± SD of the ESS was changed after the surgery, from 17.27 ± 6.48 to 7.16 ± 3.56. The mean ± SD of sleep efficacy was 71.2 ± 16.8 and the snoring index mean ± SD was 277.6 ± 192.37, and both improved postoperatively, to become 88.17 ± 9.1 and 62.167 ± 40.01, respectively. Conclusions: The AHI after lingual tonsillectomy showed no statistically significant change. The changes in the average SpO2 (%), desaturation index, sleep efficiency, snoring index, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale following the surgery were statistically significant.

BACKGROUND: The link between obstructive sleep apnea and difficult intubation needs to be fully investigated and made clear. If a compromised airway can be anticipated and managed; it can lessen the likelihood of adverse consequences. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence, severity, and possible association of obstructive sleep apnea in individuals with unexpected difficult endotracheal intubation and their associated clinical and polysomnographic findings. METHODS: Thirty patients referred for examination after difficult endotracheal intubation were enrolled in the study group, while 30 cases from the sleep laboratory unit database with a history of surgical intervention without difficult intubation were randomly selected for the control group. Documentation was obtained for the office clinical examination and fiber-optic nasopharyngolaryngoscopy assessment by Muller maneuver. The inspected upper airway was graded clinically using the Modified Mallampati technique. A comprehensive polysomnographic assessment was done overnight. The available data from the anesthetic record, as well as those derived from clinical and polysomnographic examination, such as age, sex, Body mass index, M Mallampati score, clinical positive findings, Cormack and Lehane grade, Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), desaturation index, and average O2%, were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The mean ± SD of the AHI of the study group was (29.7 ± 16.1) while in the control group, it was (13.1 ± 9.9), and the difference was of statistical significance (p < 0.001). The grading of the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was significantly different between both groups, with 53.3% of the studied cases having severe OSA and the rest having moderate (26.7%) or mild OSA (13.3%). The desaturation index was significantly higher in the study group (28.9 ± 17.4) than the control group (10.2 ± 7.4), while the average O2% saturation was significantly lower among cases (91.8 ± 6.2). The mean modified Mallampati score was significantly higher among cases with grade III-CL, and the significance was also noticed in class IV. CONCLUSION: OSA is a major risk factor for difficult airway management and OSA patients are more likely to have difficult intubations. Patients who underwent a difficult intubation had a higher incidence and severity of OSA compared to the control group. OSA severity and higher modified Mallampati scores were independently related.