Children with high risk for a sleep-related breathing disorder (SRBD) are more likely to have anxiety, according to a research abstract that will be presented on Monday at SLEEP 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).

There is a high frequency of sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD) in hospitalized patients referred for polysomnography (PSG), also known as an overnight sleep test, especially in patients with underlying cardiopulmonary disease, according to a study published in the April 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM).

Positive airway pressure (PAP) devices are used to treat patients with sleep-related breathing disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Following the diagnosis of OSA, a polysomnogram (PSG), also known as an overnight sleep test, is conducted, during which PAP is adjusted (“titrated”) to determine the amount of pressure needed to free the upper airway and prevent it from being blocked by the collapsed tissue in the back of the throat.

A team of scientists at JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado (CU) at Boulder, has shown that by sampling a person’s breath with laser light they can detect molecules in the breath that may be markers for diseases like asthma or cancer.

Children diagnosed with sleep-disordered breathing appear to sleep better and have improved behavior following removal of their tonsils and adenoids, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

The nighttime breathing disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea increases a person's risk of having a heart attack or dying by 30% over a period of four to five years, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference, on Monday, May 21.