{"id":154297,"date":"2023-12-30T11:50:19","date_gmt":"2023-12-30T18:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globaldownsyndrome.org\/?p=154297"},"modified":"2025-08-21T10:56:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T16:56:23","slug":"sleep-apnea-across-the-lifespan-in-people-with-down-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globaldownsyndrome.org\/ru\/sleep-apnea-across-the-lifespan-in-people-with-down-syndrome\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0410\u043f\u043d\u043e\u044d \u0441\u043d\u0430 \u0432 \u0442\u0435\u0447\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435 \u0432\u0441\u0435\u0439 \u0436\u0438\u0437\u043d\u0438 \u0443 \u043b\u044e\u0434\u0435\u0439 \u0441 \u0441\u0438\u043d\u0434\u0440\u043e\u043c\u043e\u043c \u0414\u0430\u0443\u043d\u0430"},"content":{"rendered":"

Takeaways from a GLOBAL Webinar<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Article from the award-winning \u200b\u041c\u0438\u0440 \u0441\u0438\u043d\u0434\u0440\u043e\u043c\u0430 \u0414\u0430\u0443\u043d\u0430<\/em>\u2122<\/sup><\/a> magazine\u200b.<\/p>\n

Learn more about our magazine, webinars\u200b and GLOBAL Membership benefits<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Sleep Apnea Experts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Earlier this year, GLOBAL organized a webinar on sleep apnea that attracted 420 registrants from 43 states and 13 countries. The webinar covered the latest understanding of the importance of sleep screening across the age spectrum in people with Down syndrome, consequences of untreated sleep apnea, medical treatment options, and surgical treatment options including hypoglossal nerve stimulation.<\/p>\n

Dr. Ignacio Tapia and Dr. Rachel Whelan co-presented the webinar, and the hour and fifteen minutes flew by! Dr. Tapia is an attending physician in the Sleep Center\/Pulmonary Division of the Children\u2019s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Associate Professor in Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Tapia\u2019s research interests are specific to Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) in children, clinical trials to treat OSAS in children, health disparities around sleep and OSAS in individuals with Down syndrome. OSAS is the day-time sleepiness and fatigue associated with OSA.<\/p>\n

Dr. Whelan is an Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and specializes in the treatment of sleep disorders in pediatric and adult patients. She has dual fellowship training in both pediatric otolaryngology and sleep medicine through UPMC and the University of Pennsylvania\/CHOP. Dr. Whelan has a particular focus in surgical treatment options for sleep-disordered breathing including nasal, pharyngeal, and neurostimulation surgeries and enjoys caring for patients across the age spectrum.<\/p>\n

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea? <\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the Mayo Clinic, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep-related disorder and occurs when the throat muscles relax and block the airway repetitively during sleep. Essentially, people with OSA stop breathing, sometimes for more than 10 seconds, and then start breathing again which negatively affects their sleep and overall health.<\/p>\n

In the United States, it is estimated that 15% of adult males and 5% of adult females have OSA, and that it affects 1-5% of all children. Obesity is an independent high-risk factor whereby upwards of 20% of adults and 70% of children with obesity were also diagnosed with OSA.<\/p>\n

Generally, it is a bed partner or parent who identifies OSA since snoring is a key symptom. To be clear, many people snore and do not have OSA but snoring, restless sleep, uncommon sleep positions such as sit sleeping, night waking, audible pauses in breathing, dry mouth, headaches, daytime sleepiness, and behavioral problems including mood swings, are all symptoms that should be mentioned to a health care provider, as these may raise concern for possible sleep apnea.<\/p>\n

Increased Risk in People with Down Syndrome<\/strong><\/p>\n

Drs. Tapia and Whelan both emphasized that people with Down syndrome are at significantly increased risk through their lifespan for developing OSA, with somewhere between 45-55% of individuals with Down syndrome having Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (the fatigue, cognitive deficit and behavior issues associated with poor sleep due to OSA).<\/p>\n

The increased risk can be attributed to a combination of multiple factors:<\/p>\n

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  1. Anatomy<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n