Sleep Disordered Breathing: An Epidemiological Study among Albanian Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) comprises a group of diseases characterized by alterations in the frequency and/or depth of breathing during sleep. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of SDB in a group of Albanian children and adolescents and to describe its social, physiological, psychological, sleep-related, and anthropometric risk factors, in relation to the sociodemographic situation. A total of 6087 participants (mean age: 10.42 years, range: 6 to 15 years, 52.3% females and 47.7% males) attending public schools all over Albania took part in the cross-sectional study. On a sample of 6087 questionnaires distributed, 4702 (77.25% of the original sample) were returned and included in the study. High risk status for SDB was assessed using the Paediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ). The prevalence of SDB was 7.9%. No statistically significant difference was found for gender at high risk for SBD. Compared to participants living in urban aeras (7.3%), participants living in rural areas (10.4%) reported significantly higher SDB prevalence rates. No other significant correlations were detected between the high-risk subjects and the age. The prevalence of the subjects at high risk of SBD obese participants (20.8%) was statistically higher than among nonobese ones (6.3%). SDB is highly prevalent in Albanian growing population and further prevalence studies are recommended.