Snoring in young children could be due to the manifestation of an allergic disease. In adults, snoring is strongly tied to obesity. But in children, the swelling of the lining of their smaller airways may be a stronger risk factor. Researchers from the Woolcock Institute for Medical Research in Sydney analysed a group of 5-year-olds who participated in an asthma prevention study. To understand the risk factors for snoring in children and the relationship between snoring and allergic disease, the researchers looked at a subgroup of 213 participants in an asthma prevention study. The parents reported that their children had rhinitis, an itchy, stuffy or blocked nose for at least a week in the previous year. Nearly 60 percent of these children snored at least once a week. Just over one quarter snored more than three nights a week. First-born children were 2.5 times more likely to snore than children with older siblings. A number of studies have found oldest children are at greater risk of allergic diseases. Having a mother who smoked at home during the child's first year of life, boosted the snoring risk 2 fold. Children with asthma were nearly 3 times more likely to be snorers, while having eczema increased the likelihood of snoring by 2.3 fold. However, children's body mass index had no relationship to whether or not they snored. The association between obesity and snoring has been well established in adults and school-age children, but the findings imply that body mass is not an important contributor to snoring in pre-school age children. It seems likely that upper airway shape and the manifestations of allergic disease are more important. The risk factors for snoring were very similar to those for allergic disorders, and included exposure to cigarette smoke in the first year of life, asthma and eczema.
Pediatric Pulmonology,
June 2007