Evaluating blood pressure of children with tonsillar hypertrophy without OSAS by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitorization

Objective: Respiratory disorders related to sleeping problems are examined in a wide spectrum ranging from simple snoring to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Hypertension and the risk for cardiovascular morbidity because of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome have been demonstrated in many previous studies. But, there are limited number of studies demonstrating the influential blood pressure changes during the rime interval from primary snoring to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Methods: Twenty children who had no obstructive sleep apnea symptoms with tonsillar hypertrophy (grade 3-4) and twenty children as control subjects (range: 6-13 years) were included in this study. Healthy children consisting of equal number of boys and girls who were in the same age group with the patient group with no complaints were chosen as a control group. All participants were evaluated by twenty 24-ambulatory blood pressure monitorization, and the data obtained were compared. Results: There was no significant difference between the groups as for average blood pressure measurements obtained during the whole day, daytime and at night Still blood pressure load, blood pressure index and blood pressure variability of both groups did not differ statistically significantly. The number of non-dippers in the patient group was greater than the those in the control group. Although intergroup difference did not reach a statistical significance. Conclusion: This study showed that cardiovascular complications like systemic hypertension did not become manifest in children with tonsillar hypertrophy but without any sign of clinical obstructive sleep apnea. Higher number of non-dippers in the patient group, reveal the requirement for larger population-based studies.