MedWire News: Habitual snoring is more common in preschool children than originally thought, with one-third of cases attributable to avoidable risk factors, according to the results of a Swiss study.

Writing in the European Respiratory Journal, Claudia Kuehni (University of Bern) and colleagues say that "the strong association with atopic disorders, viral infections and environmental exposures suggests a complex aetiology, based on a general vulnerability of the respiratory tract."

Because of its link with sleep apnea, snoring is of increasing concern to lung specialists and pediatricians. Although the condition is quite common in adults aged over 40 years, it was thought to be relatively rare among children, the authors explain.

However, in a study of 6811 children in the UK aged 1-4 years, Kuehni et al determined that 59.7% of the children had snored in the previous 12 months, including 7.9% with regular snoring and 0.9% with regular snoring and sleep disturbance.

The prevalence of regular snoring increased with age from 6.6% in 1-year-olds to 13.0% in 4-year-olds, the authors report.

One of the main risk factors for snoring every night seems to be passive smoking, the team explain.

"When one parent smokes, the odds for snoring in the child rises by 60%, and it more than doubles when both parents smoke."

Exposure to road traffic (odds ratio [OR]=1.23); being in a single parent family (OR=1.60); and socioeconomic deprivation (OR 1.25 and 2.03 for middle and upper thirds of Townsend score, respectively) in White children also increased the risk for snoring.

The consequences of regular early snoring can be serious, the authors explain. Young children with chronic snoring tend to have other respiratory problems such as increased chronic night cough, more frequent attacks of wheeze, and repeated throat and ear infections.

Therefore, the authors recommend that parents and pediatricians keep a watchful eye on children who snore every night, and take preventive or therapeutic measures if needed.

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