Evaluation of carotid intima-media thickness and carotid arterial stiffness in children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy

Arterial Stiffness and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Children Exposed to Smokeless Tobacco in Fetal Life

BACKGROUND

Arterial stiffening and increased intima-media thickness can be seen as early as childhood and are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events in adult life. The authors hypothesized that exposure to prenatal smokeless tobacco (Swedish snus) without additional nicotine exposure after the breastfeeding period would be associated with increased arterial stiffness and intima-media thickening in preschool children.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This was a longitudinal follow-up cohort study of children aged 5 to 6 years exposed to high doses of nicotine in utero. Women exclusively using snus and unexposed controls were enrolled in early pregnancy (gestational age range, 6-12 weeks). Exposure data were collected during and after pregnancy with questionnaires from both groups. For this study, only children of women using >48 mg nicotine per day during their entire pregnancy were included in the exposure group. Outcomes were determined in 40 healthy children (21 exposed to snus in utero). Ultrasonography of the common carotid artery was used to determine carotid intima-media thickness and calculate arterial stiffness index from the relationship between pulsatile changes in arterial diameter and arterial pressure. Children exposed to snus in fetal life had higher carotid stiffness (median 4.1 [interquartile range (IQR), 2.4-5] versus 2.9 [IQR, 2.1-3.5]; P=0.014) than tobacco-free controls. Carotid strain (relative diameter change) was lower in children exposed to snus (mean 16% [SD, 5.7%] versus 21% [SD, 6.6%]) than in controls (P=0.015). Carotid intima-media thickness did not differ significantly between children exposed to snus and controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure to snus during fetal life was associated with a stiffer carotid artery in preschool children.

Ready to scan? A systematic review of point of care ultrasound (PoCUS) for screening of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the pediatric population

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in pediatric practice is challenging, as screening questionnaires are inadequate and sleep studies are resource limited and time-consuming. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of perioperative point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) in adults identified several parameters which correlate with OSA diagnosis and are the subject of an ongoing prospective study. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the usefulness of surface airway ultrasound as a PoCUS tool for OSA screening in the pediatric population.

DESIGN

Databases were searched for observational cohort studies and randomized controlled trials of patients under 18 years of age undergoing quantitative surface US measurement of extra-thoracic airway structures where correlation or association was examined either directly to OSA diagnosis or indirectly to an alternative reference measure. Diagnostic properties and correlation between US parameters (index test) and reference measures were evaluated where possible.

MAIN RESULTS

Of the initial 8499 screened articles, 12 articles (8 airway, 4 non-airway) evaluating 1237 patients were included. Six of these studies were conducted in the sleep/obesity clinic and six in in the perioperative population. Ten studies were prospective and two were cross sectional studies. Airway parameters which correlated with moderate-severe OSA were lateral pharyngeal wall thickness and total neck thickness at the retropharyngeal level. Tonsil volume was not correlated with OSA diagnosis or severity. In tonsillectomy patients, tonsil volume on preoperative ultrasound correlated well with volume of surgical specimens. Adenoid thickness correlated strongly with radiological and endoscopic measures of size and occlusion.

CONCLUSION

Ultrasound measurement in children indicates several parameters which correlate with OSA diagnosis or with other reference measurements. This has not yet been validated as a diagnostic tool, however the recent emergence of research in this area is encouraging and the findings from this review will inform future studies.

Early Atherosclerotic Inflammatory Pathways in Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate structural and functional carotid changes and inflammatory profiles in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and healthy controls.

STUDY DESIGN

Patients with OSA and matched controls (ages 5-13 years) were recruited. Proinflammatory cytokines and acute phase reactants were measured at 6:00 p.m. Common carotid artery measures were determined using ultrasound. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine subgroups of cytokines and their effects on carotid measures.

RESULTS

Ninety-six patients participated (53 healthy controls, 43 patients with OSA). OSA was associated with increased proinflammatory cytokines (cluster of differentiation-40 ligand [CD40-L], interleukin [IL]-6, and IL-8) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (P < .05 for all). One cytokine subgroup (IL-6 and IL-8) was negatively associated with markers of carotid function, indicating reduced arterial distensibility and increased stiffness (P < .05 for 3 ultrasound measures); and tumor necrosis factor-α had an opposing effect on carotid function compared with this cytokine subgroup (P < .05 for 2 ultrasound measures). Linear regression demonstrated significant associations between and tumor necrosis factor- α and 2 measures of carotid function (P < .05 for each). Children with OSA did not have functional or structural carotid changes compared with controls.

CONCLUSION

OSA was not directly associated with structural and functional carotid changes but was associated with upregulation of key proinflammatory cytokines (sCD40-L, IL-6, and IL-8). Together, IL-6 and IL-8 were associated with changes in carotid function. Longitudinal studies are needed to demonstrate that the inflammatory milieu observed in our population is a precursor of atherosclerosis in children.

Role of sleep quality in the metabolic syndrome

Emerging evidence has assigned an important role to sleep as a modulator of metabolic homeostasis. The impact of variations in sleep duration, sleep-disordered breathing, and chronotype to cardiometabolic function encompasses a wide array of perturbations spanning from obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, the metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease risk and mortality in both adults and children. Here, we critically and extensively review the published literature on such important issues and provide a comprehensive overview of the most salient pathophysiologic pathways underlying the links between sleep, sleep disorders, and cardiometabolic functioning.