Peer-reviewed article
Age-dependent association between parent-reported snoring and polysomnography findings in children.
Ella Ruikka, Timo Peltomäki, Outi Saarenpää-Heikkilä, Sari-Leena Himanen, Ilkka Kivekäs et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This is a medical study about how accurately parents can identify sleep-disordered breathing in children by listening for snoring. The researchers tested children at ages 2, 6, and 12 years and found that parental reports of snoring were reliable indicators of obstructive sleep apnea in younger children but became less reliable as children got older. The study suggests that age affects how well snoring predicts breathing problems during sleep.
Key points
- Parent-reported snoring correlated with polysomnography-diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea in 2-year-olds and 6-year-olds but not 12-year-olds
- Snoring had 100% sensitivity and negative predictive value for identifying OSA in children aged 2 and 6 years
- 2-year-old snorers showed higher respiratory effort than non-snorers
- Flow limitation was more common among snorers aged 6 and 12 years than non-snorers
Limitations
This is a diagnostic accuracy study focused on a clinical screening tool, not an evaluation of an intervention to improve child health outcomes or well-being. The study does not assess whether identification of snoring leads to treatment or improves children's health, development, or quality of life.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The initial identification of children at risk for sleep disordered breathing (SDB) commonly relies on parental reports of symptoms, particularly snoring. This study aims to assess how age affects the association between parent-reported snoring and SDB-related findings on polysomnography (PSG). We hypothesized that parent-reported snoring correlates more strongly with SDB-related findings on PSG in younger children. METHODS: This study was part of the Child Sleep project, a longitudinal birth cohort study on children born at Tampere University Hospital, which was carried out between 2013 and 2025 and included clinical examinations at ages 2, 6, and 12 years, where children were compared based on whether their parents reported them to snore. RESULTS: An association between parent-reported snoring and PSG-diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was found in children aged 2 years (p = 0.009) and 6 years (p = 0.045). Parent-reported snoring showed a high sensitivity (1.0) and negative predictive value (1.0) for OSA in both 2- and 6-year-olds, with its predictive performance diminishing in 12-year-olds. 2-year-olds who were reported to snore had higher respiratory effort than non-snorers (p = 0.022). In children aged 6 and 12 years there was more flow limitation among those reported to snore than among non-snorers. CONCLUSION: Parent-reported snoring may be a clinically useful screening tool for excluding SDB in younger children alongside other examination methods. However, its reliability appears to decrease as children approach puberty and during puberty. Thus, it is important to consider age-related changes in the pathophysiology of SDB and changes in parental observational behavior as children approach adolescence.