In the vast majority of cases the main cause of sleep apnea, in this case obstructive sleep apnea, is enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids and the preferred method of treatment is surgery.

However, research being carried out at the University of Louisville in Kentucky may well result in thousands of children escaping what is for many an unpleasant and often frightening procedure.

Although the removal of tonsils and/or adenoids in children was extremely common some years ago the practice was, until recently, in decline, as doctors sought out alternative treatments for childhood throat infections. However, as an increasing number of children were diagnosed with sleep apnea, tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy rapidly became a common treatment for this condition and today some estimates show that as many as ninety percent of all such operations are carried out to cure sleep apnea, rather than throat infections.

It seems, however, that this could well change in the not too distant future.

Dr Goldbart, heading a research team at the University of Louisville, has been working in this area for some time now and presented the initial findings of his work on the tonsillar tissue of children with sleep apnea in June 2004. Based on these findings, Dr Goldbart’s team proposed an alternative non-invasive treatment for mild cases of childhood sleep apnea and has since carried out a series of studies, the latest of which involved 40 children. The results have now just been published and are extremely encouraging.

The treatment involves the use of oral montelkast (sold under the brand name of Singulair) which many parents may well recognize as a common form of treatment for asthma.

In many cases of asthma breathing difficulties are caused by inflammation of the tonsils resulting from the presence of leukotriene receptors and Dr Goldbart and his team noticed that these same leukotriene receptors were present in the tonsils of children with sleep apnea. He concluded therefore that the treatment that has proved so effective in cases of asthma should also reduce inflammation and open up the airway in cases of sleep apnea, and it would appear that he is right.

It is of course still early days and a great deal more work needs to be done, including further double-blind and placebo-controlled studies. Nonetheless, his findings are indeed encouraging and may well provide an alternative to surgery for many thousands of children in the future.

Copyright 2005 Donald Saunders – http://help-me-to-sleep.com

In a person with sleep apnea the airway can be blocked by tissue, tonsils, the tongue or muscles collapsing. When a person is suffering from sleep apnea they will usually not know. Other people may notice it when they are sleeping and wake the person or tell them they were snoring or making funny noises when they were sleeping.

The symptoms of sleep apnea are usually extreme tiredness even after what seems to be a good nights sleep. This is because once a person stops breathing they are woken up out of the deep sleep. They never really do get to enjoy the deep sleep that is necessary for a good nights rest. They may also snore, have headaches upon waking up, have a dry mouth and have mood changes.

Sleep apnea can be very dangerous, so it is important that if a person suspects they may suffer from it that they seek medical help as soon as possible. Sleep apnea can lead to heart disease, stroke and impotence. A doctor will administer a sleep test either in a clinic or for the person to do at home. This test will measure the oxygen levels in the person’s blood, as well as their sleep patterns.

Once a person is diagnosed with sleep apnea the doctor will usually start to see why exactly the condition is present. The cause of the sleep apnea will usually dictate the treatment. Sometimes if a person loses weight or changes sleeping positions they can stop their sleep apnea. There are also medical devices like mouth guards, that can be used. For example, a C-PAP is a machine that is often used to treat sleep apnea. It blows air into the person’s nose and helps to keep the airway open. In some cases where the cause is a physical deformity, surgery may be a good option.

Sleep apnea is quite easy to treat once a person is diagnosed. The diagnosis can be the hardest part of dealing with sleep apnea, since a person is usually unaware they are even having problems. However, if a person experiences any of the symptoms of sleep apnea they should see their doctor and get tested. Letting the condition go without treatment could be fatal, so any suspicion should be checked out.