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Obstructive sleep apnea linked to genes

Written by: David Castillo on February 9th, 2010

Obstructive sleep apnea linked to genes | read this item

According to new research, children with sleep apnea will someday be able to avoid a tonsillectomy and they can even get an injection or use throat spray to eliminate snoring problems.

In a report published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, researchers say that they have discovered gene and gene networks related to sleep apnea inside tonsil tissues among affected children. In the United States, around 2-3 percent have the condition.

It seems like the genes cause tonsil tissues to proliferate, which leads to partial or complete obstruction of the upper airways during sleep.

The researchers explored genes related to condition in a test population of 18 children with sleep apnea and 18 children who had their tonsils removed.

The findings are going to be prospective for target therapy in children with obstructive sleep apnea, said Dr. David Gozal, professor of pediatrics at the University of Chicago. Dr. Gozal explained: “We believe if we had effective nonsurgical alternatives to tonsillectomies, it would be of great benefit.”

Source: BusinessWeek

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