Children who are treated for obstructive sleep apnea show improvements in behavioral and emotional problems, says a study in the January issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

The study, by researchers at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, included 42 children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who had tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, and a control group of 41 children without OSA.

Researchers found the children with OSA had a higher rate of behavioral and emotional problems (29 percent vs. 10 percent) than those in the control group. Following tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, only 12 percent of the children in the OSA group scored in the abnormal or borderline range for behavioral and emotional problems.

"This study provides further evidence that behavioral and emotional problems are present in children with OSA and improve after treatment. Large improvements in disease-specific health-related QOL (quality of life) are also found," the study authors wrote.

An estimated 1 percent to 3 percent of children have obstructive sleep apnea.

More information

The Nemours Foundation has more about children and sleep apnea.